


Safe Into My Heart

by lunaseemoony



Series: Safe Into My Heart [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), The Politician's Husband
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Babies, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Post-Episode: s02e13 Doomsday, Romance, Smut, Swearing, Teninch Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-04-22 12:48:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4835987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaseemoony/pseuds/lunaseemoony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aiden Hoynes helps Rose secure the funding she needs for the dimension cannon. Despite her determination to get back to the Doctor, Rose finds herself falling for the Vice President. It's not enough to keep her from continuing her work, until her project is shut down and Rose learns she's pregnant. The man she would have turned to in her grief might be the same one who betrayed her trust.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

"He messaged me again this morning," Rose sighed, leaning back in her desk chair so she could kick up her feet. "He wants to go for another date."

Martha let her clipboard fall to her waist while she rolled her eyes and shook her head. She scooted a chair up to Rose's desk and plopped down. "You sound like you're talking about having to get a tooth pulled. God, if I was all over the news like you two are... well. I guess you're both used to it. They're calling you the new golden couple, you know."

"Exactly! Can you imagine what the media will do if I disappear all of a sudden? That's not so easily swept under the rug, Martha. I'm not about to leave more work for you lot when I get back to the Doctor. Besides, I don't want another silly title. I've already got the one," Rose huffed while fiddling with her mobile, brushing her thumb over its raised keyboard as she teetered in her chair.

Martha's face opened up into her soft but foxy grin. "The Vitex Heiress and the Vice President as Britain's golden couple. That doesn't have a nice ring to you? And is that really his mobile number you've got there?"

Rose opened up her contacts and stared at the digits making up Aiden Hoynes' mobile number. Strange that a person could be reduced to a series of numbers, even more so that any series of numbers flashing on her screen could get her heart thumping. It was a little bit infuriating, being honest. One man shouldn't affect her so much, she'd tell herself. Rose looked at Aiden sometimes and felt her heart speeding up the same way it did when she looked at the Doctor. Both of them would have her needlessly tucking her hair back every few seconds or chewing off the nerves from her lip. The two men may have shared a few key features, but Rose learned they couldn't have been more different if they tried. They even sounded a bit different. The Doctor had a cool smoothness to his voice where Aiden's had a warm, rumbling brogue that made her all too grateful for text messages. Never mind that she'd stayed up to three in the morning curled up starkers in bed chatting with Aiden on the phone.

"Yeah, it's definitely his personal number. Should never have given him mine."

"You fancy him," Martha cooed. Rose didn't dignify this with a response. She didn't need to. "Oh come on. You wouldn't care if you didn't like him. Is he different when there aren't all those cameras around? He's got to be softer in private. You'd never fall for the arrogant sod he acts like on the news. Coming round here like he owns the place? Not your type."

"I'm not falling for him, Martha!" Rose protested, and had to catch herself from falling back out of her chair. She let her feet fall to the floor and she slumped over her desk. "We've only been out a few times. All for Torchwood. He saw to it that you all got that new MRI machine you wanted. You're welcome."

"You had all the funding sorted after the first date, though. You made a big point of it, I remember. Come on, tell me what he's like. I need a juicy story."

Rose sighed and stared at her mobile again. "He cooks. Doesn't get to see his kids much anymore, so he doesn't have anyone to cook for. He's been single for a while, Martha. The whole time he's been VP, it's all been a ruse. Apparently he cooked a lot after he stepped down from his cabinet position. Got tired of fixing things from the microwave for the kids, I suppose." She paused and tried to bite back a smile, but it was too late. Just remembering Aiden in the chippy with her, sitting up and leaning across the table as she wolfed down her basket made her smile. "He's still passionate, I'll tell you that. Won't ever stop talking shop. But when he sits next to you and talks to you, he focuses all his attention on just you, like there's nothing else in the room. He's not at all like -"

Rose swallowed her last few words and let her mobile fall into her lap. She fished her TARDIS key from underneath her blouse. This was why dating was a bad idea. No Earthly man could compare to a 900 year old spacehopping alien. Rose's eyes fell shut and she cradled the warm golden key in her palm. This was what always happened when she got to thinking about Aiden. She started comparing him to the Doctor. And maybe the Doctor wouldn't mind so much, maybe he knew he'd "win." But Aiden, if he ever knew the Doctor like she did, would blow a gasket.

"He told you that?" Martha gasped. "Wow. Over a year and change. Maybe longer. No wonder he's eager to see you. Snogged him yet?"

"No. Yet? Oh that's it, I'm not going. I can't believe you're encouraging this." Rose stood up and started pacing.

"Is it so bad, letting someone get close? Clearly you care for him, otherwise you wouldn't be so bothered. You're not going to be thinking about him when you're with the Doctor, so it's his feelings you're worried about, isn't it? If it bothered him would he keeping asking after you?"

Rose brought the back of her hand to her mouth and pressed her lips to her knuckles. She leaned on her arm and revealed the truth with her silence.

"You haven't told him!" Martha accused. Rose didn't need to answer. She was certain it was etched into the worry lines on her face. "So, what, you were just going to keep going out with him, disappear and not tell him?" Again, Rose's silence said more than she ever could with words. "Oh, you're ringing him. I don't care how much of a cocky bastard he is. Nobody deserves that, Rose. Ring him up. Mick says we could lock on to the Doctor's position any day. Aiden's got to know, before it's too late." Rose turned on her heels in her pacing and bore down on Martha with a hard stare. "Ring him up or I'm pulling your medical clearance."

"What, here?" Rose looked around. An audience of one was still one more than she'd prefer. Particularly Martha. Not when she was speaking with Aiden. Martha quirked an eyebrow, smiled, and folded her arms. At least it'd be a short conversation. She shuffled around her desk and picked up her mobile. It was already open to his number.

Rose let herself fall back to the glass desk and closed her eyes for just a heartbeat as he greeted her with a hum of her name. Aiden's voice was anything but smooth. It rumbled, like a car gently rolling along a gravel road. But it also a warm blanket over her ears. He barely gave her a chance to soak it in before he began rattling off about how he was about to step into a meeting but while he had her he was going to tell her his plans. She hadn't even accepted his invite. Aiden was clever enough, though, to know she wouldn't ring him up only to turn him down.

"Dinner and a film? That sounds nice," Rose agreed, nodding to the man from across town. "Casual dress?"

"Think you can manage?" he teased.

"Can you?"

There was a pause and some background chatter from his end. "Pick you up at seven."

Rose hadn't actually seen Aiden in anything but a suit thus far. Sometimes when they were chatting late at night she imagined him wearing stuffy old jim jams, but she couldn't picture him in casual dress. She wondered if he even owned a t-shirt. But if the man could cook (and he bloody well could), proving her wrong in that department, odds are he owned a few t-shirts. Though Rose imagined a man with such a crisp exterior as Aiden wearing a jumper more than a t-shirt. She was sorely tempted to show up in a hoodie and denims just to take him up on his word about casual dress. It was certainly easier to hide that way. Rose had her wardrobe divided into sections: Vitex, Torchwood, and home. There wasn't much in between. Vitex functions diminished her appreciation for finer clothes just a little. The Torchwood section was a dark sea of leather and denim with a few pantsuits thrown in for meeting with clients and officials like Aiden. But he'd crossed that yarn-thin line from official to -

Rose's heart started pumping so hard that it was ringing in her ears. What exactly was Aiden? She looked at the outfits she was considering wearing to dinner. Dress, dress, dress, really hot dress that was promptly going _back_ in the wardrobe, and a thin blouse with hip-hugging denims to go with some cute sandals. Mostly boyfriend material. Rose never dressed up for Mick and considering Jimmy was pointless. Mickey almost never took her anywhere but the pub. She'd dressed up _with_ the Doctor plenty of times, had even seen him really _looking_ once or twice. She'd say she dressed up _for_ the Doctor, but that would imply it actually got her past the status of best friend that he liked to flirt with. Rose closed her eyes and banished the thought. She promised herself she wasn't going to dwell on those thoughts, that none of them mattered because she was going to be with him again soon.

She opted for a black sleeveless a-line dress covered in lace that came down to her knees with a matching pair of wedges and a sandy colored pea coat to go over it. There was no shame in gussying up a bit for a man that was taking out the time with her. Rose spent her time with him reminding herself that he wasn't a replacement and he wasn't permanent. She truly enjoyed every minute spent with Aiden chipping away at the stiff politician. The promise of honing in on the Doctor coupled with Martha's warning would tonight a memorable one, because she was going to tell him. Rose really like Aiden, and just thinking about him had her stomach twisting itself in knots.

On their first "date," Rose was at Aiden's place for dinner solely to get his support in funding for the dimension cannon. Rose's opinion of him shifted slightly that night from a mild twinge of disdain to ambivalence. He was her key back home, back to the TARDIS, back to the Doctor. For a little while that notion didn't bother her at all. She watched him closely and thought maybe he was playing her, a snake in the grass ready to strike at an opportune moment. But to what end? By their third date Rose realized Aiden could gain nothing but good press from being seen with her. That was about it. He softened her to him just a little after this realization bubbled up. She offered him a genuine smile when they danced at a gala he'd taken her to. She could have been cross with him for neglecting to tell her she was his date to the President's gala. Instead she let him use her as a pawn in making his ex-wife jealous, to great effect if the news was a good judge.

That was the first night he called her just to chat. She got the impression that he'd gone home and had a few more drinks. But of all people Aiden Hoynes must have had access to, it was Rose's number he dialed. He caught her right at a vulnerable moment right as she was stepping out of the shower and about to slip into some jim jams for bed. She answered his call before getting dressed, and slipped between her sheets with his velvety rumble warming her ear better than any blanket. She nearly fell asleep to it, not because his nattering about politics was boring but because she was reveling in his gravely voice revealing little bits of his soft interior with every word. He rang her on certain nights of the week. Eventually Rose learned these were the nights he didn't have his children, and didn't have mounds of work to distract himself with. Last night she actually did fall asleep while chatting with him. She would have thought this would turn him away from her. But Rose hadn't even gotten her coat on the rack in her office when he messaged her.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Aiden asked, his voice muffled around his bite of bread.

He'd picked out a little Italian restaurant a few blocks from his house. He picked her up and drove back to his place so they walked over, since it was so close.

It didn't click right away, but when it did Rose bit her lip and smiled. "Yeah, sorry. I did, though."

"Oh I know. Your breathing was nice and even when you weren't snoring," he returned with his salacious smirk.

Her mouth gaped. "You kept the line open? You... you listened to me sleeping?"

Rose watched Aiden bring his wine glass to his lips before he caught her gaze through hooded eyes. She couldn't be certain if he'd really noticed what she was wearing until that moment when he unabashedly gave her the once over and popped an eyebrow at her. Not that she'd been paying him such meticulous attention, but she noticed his left brow had a particular knack for looking just a bit more mischievous than the right.

"I fell asleep not long after you did." Aiden licked the trickle of wine off his lips and set down his glass as he leaned in a softened his voice to a murmur. He could have been thinking himself a lion, and she his prey. He'd have a lot to learn. "I couldn't help it. You could have been right there in bed with me. Oh and I do enjoy making you blush."

"You're having me on!" Rose protested, leaning back in her seat. They'd managed to keep somewhat of a low profile, though their server recognized both of them. But heads turned when she raised her voice.

"I'm not."

Aiden was making her mission to tell him the truth about the dimension cannon nearly impossible. It would be so much easier if he wasn't being pleasant, if he wasn't being _himself_. The man she first met that came to Torchwood a few months ago was wearing his confidence like jewel in his crown, as if the company Pete helped build up was part of his own empire. He'd been all too keen at first to remind her that essentially it was. He was every bit as arrogant strutting around their labs and offices as he was on the telly; a peacock showing off his plumage. Yet this was the same man that had kissed her cheek and greeted her with a soft smile for their date. It was the same one that stole her hand as they strolled out of the restaurant and tightened his grip when she considered politely pulling away. Fuck, this wasn't supposed to be so hard. Somewhere beyond the breach and the Void was her silly old man in his blue box. He wouldn't think twice before opening up his gob and letting the truth out like a flood in a rainstorm.

And right on cue, as if mother nature herself was listening, as they were headed to the driver to go to the cinema the sky opened up in a torrential downpour. Aiden's grip on her hand became a vice, and he had them barreling down the street. Good job picking a restaurant that was near his house at least, Rose thought. Certainly better than her choice of footwear. By the time they made it to his house on the corner a few blocks down the straps to her wedges felt like restraints, sucking all the life out of her feet.

"So much for the cinema," Aiden huffed as they practically fell through his door. "No point in seeing a film in spongy clothes." He was interrupted by several claps of thunder booming against his roof. The lights flickered after he turned them on. "And we can't see one if we lose power anyway."

Rose winced as she fell back into his entryway wall. Aiden caught Rose before she fell over her ankle. She thought she might have slipped in her shoes as they ran, but was now certain she had. Her ankle started throbbing in complaint, twisting angrily against its leather restraints.

"These shoes make you look gorgeous and feel like a boss, I'm sure, but they've got to be horrible for your feet," Aiden noted as he knelt down before her. It was hard to feel her face through the sting of the rain and cold but she might have been blushing. "Here," he murmured as he reached for her foot. He helped her out of her shoes one by one, supporting her when she had to stand on her now bad foot.

He was leading her down the hall when the power did fade out with a crash of thunder that shook the house. Rose froze and wrapped herself around Aiden, which was daft really. She'd been through too much to be frightened of the dark. She was just surprised. He patted her arm as he told her he was going for a torch and to stay put. They rerouted to the sitting room.

"You might as well stay a while, Rose," Aiden broke the couple minutes of silence as he circled the torch over the fireplace before pulling back its grate. "It's not safe to drive around in that. I'm going to get a fire going, and then I'll find something for you to change into."

The torch briefly flew over the couch next to her, shining a light on a blanket hanging over the back. Rose scooped it up. "This'll do just fine," Rose hummed as she held it in front of herself. "Just don't turn round until I say, yeah?"

Aiden froze for a moment before kneeling down in front of the fireplace. He never answered verbally but he also kept facing the fireplace. Rose was easily too cavalier for this stuffy politician given her lifestyle. It was either gallivanting across the universe with the Doctor or across Earth with Mickey and Jake. Either way she was in the company of men. It taught her a thing or two about modesty (or rather how to let it slip while holding on to her dignity). Stripping down in front of Aiden should have fazed her just a little, even if he was turned around. If it bothered him at all it was difficult to see in the dark. She draped her dress over her bra and knickers on the back of the couch where the blanket had been and wrapped the blanket around herself as she began to shiver. A few minutes later Aiden had a growing fire going in the fireplace and turned around to her curled up in a ball in front of it.

Aiden disappeared behind Rose she thought to go change into his own dry clothes. But the distinct sounds of fabric slipping off skin brushed her ears along with the snaps and cracks from the fire. Rose curled her toes into the snowy white faux fur of his rug. So the man could dress himself but not decorate properly. You can't win them all. Rose gulped as she felt his feet thumping on the floor behind her. Her heart betrayed her as it began pumping and racing just at the thought of the gruff Aiden in the buff behind her, watching her do everything in her power to keep facing forward. Was this how it was for him?

"My mobile's got no signal," Rose grumbled as she held up a corner of the blanket to her face along with her mobile clutched in the same hand. "I'll have to wait to call Micks."

"Is it so bad, staying with me?"

Rose sank into her blanket and rested her head on her knees so she could look at him. It was just as well that they weren't able to go see a film. She needed to talk to him anyway. Though she hadn't imagined it happening in his living room before a warm fire naked in his blanket (that he definitely used, as it was coated in his crisp cologne). Every little crack and pop of the wood had her wanting to jump out of her skin. But then she looked at Aiden, his sandy hair slicked back and his freckles peeking through his clammy skin. Some choice parts of her didn't seem to care one lick for her convictions when he drank her in with his eyes.

"Course not," Rose muttered. "I just..." saying she didn't want to be stranded wasn't an improvement.

Aiden scooted closer to her, so that if they weren't protected by their blankets his bum would be touching hers. "You haven't been yourself tonight," he noted. He pried her mobile from her fingers and let it fall down her thighs and to the floor before he grabbed her hand and curled it around his.

There was no question. Aiden knew enough of Rose to know when she was herself or not. The time they'd spent chatting on the phone late at night far exceeded their time on dates. Though he spent a lot of it going on and on about work, he also listened a great deal. Rose warned herself about not getting too close, about forming close bonds with people she was going to leave behind. But Aiden encouraged her in the worst way, growling and humming over details as though her life story was a piece of juicy gossip. He knew that Rose, her mum and Mickey were from a different dimension. It was all a part of her explanation as to how the dimension cannon would work. He knew that her boss was not only her dad but essentially her step dad. That was when Rose had in turn learned that Aiden lost his father too. It was the subject of a long late night chat in bed. Well, separate beds, across town. But the fact that Rose never saw it that way and the fact that they'd fallen asleep together were both reasons why this conversation would prove to be difficult.

Out with it, Rose told herself. Out with it, so Martha wouldn't ream her in the morning. "There's something I haven't told you about the dimension cannon."

"Is this about the Doctor?" Aiden prompted.

Rose's blanket fell for a heartbeat, and she gathered it back up in a frenzy before she could even croak, "What?"

"I know about the Doctor, if that's what this is about."

A log fell in the fireplace and sent sparks of flame shooting up into the air. Rose hid her face in her knees even as Aiden's grip around her hand tightened. She felt cold against his hand. She'd say it was warm like a blanket but as his fingers tightened and he commanded her attention, it felt much more like the fire that it glowed in. She wanted nothing more than to be given her personal space so she could shrink away from him. She could feel Aiden seething, glaring at her knowing that he'd been correct.

"If it's any consolation, the information wasn't easy to get out of Pete." Aiden sliced through the thick silence. "Parts of you weren't adding up, Rose. I've never seen someone so determined to see a project to completion as you are. Everyone has something personal invested in their work, otherwise why do it? Yours is _him_ , isn't it?"

Rose wriggled her fingers free of his grasp as he spoke and hid them as she clutched her blanket to her face. "That's not fair. I was going to tell you," she defended. She watched Aiden ruffle his soaked hair before combing the neatness back in. "How long have you known?"

"A few weeks."

Rose backtracked through the past few weeks. They'd gotten so much closer in the past few weeks. Aiden had become more open with her, more willing to discuss his personal life rather than just business. The gnocchi and salad that she'd just eaten began to churn in her stomach. She squirmed in her blanket. Her breasts brushing her legs made her feel that much more naked. Tension coiled in her abdomen and pricked her damp flesh with goosebumps. She soothed herself with the fire dancing in the fireplace, kissing her face with its radiance.

"How did you work it out... you know, to ask dad about it?"

"I know people, Rose. My job is to know people. You get shafted enough times and you learn the signs when somebody's hiding something from you."

"It's not like... a dirty little secret," Rose defended further. "Still, if you knew, why ask me out again? Why take this any further?"

Aiden grabbed Rose's chin and pulled it up from her knees to look at him. "Knowing somebody's leaving is supposed to make you want to see them less? Does that make sense to you?" Rose glanced down at his feet poking out from his blanket. His toes lay flat unlike hers curled in. He was perfectly still, almost sitting up straight even. "I considered a grand gesture, but then you'd know something was up."

"See? You're just as bad as me then, hiding it! Sneaking behind my back asking my dad about me?" Rose raised her voice and pulled her chin away.

He snorted. "You want to get into a deception contest with me? Do you know what you're up against? I dare you to try. Though if I honestly thought you could be better at it than me you wouldn't be naked on my rug right now."

Rose squirmed and chewed her lip raw. "Is that what you want then, me naked?"

"I didn't summon the storm. But it's a nice turn in luck for me." A bit of a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. His blanket slipped a little, revealing his chest. It was smooth, with only a thin patch of hair there. "Just tell me, this Doctor of yours must be an incredible man for you to put yourself through all this just to get back to him."

Rose's cheeks flushed. Wrong didn't even begin to approach this. "He is."

"Do you love him?"

Rose's heart leapt into her throat and made her croak. "Um..." She'd get no release from him. He even made it worse by reclaiming her hand. The wrong hand, a warm one, hadn't felt so soothing since she'd been stuck here. Every hand, any one that wasn't unusually cold, was wrong. Rose closed her eyes and rode the waves of shaky breaths. "Yes." She panted the next few breaths until she followed with, "But you knew that, yeah?"

"I wanted to hear you say it."

"That's cruel," Rose hissed, and dug her fingers in the grooves of his knuckles.

Aiden turned around and growled. His blanket fell to his hips. A little patch of chocolate peaked out above the hem, the sight of which sent a shiver rippling across her skin, warming it and fueling the heat in her cheeks. She rubbed her thighs together and swallowed a yip as he leaned in. A clap of thunder nearly had her jump out of her blanket before he spoke. He was unfazed.

"Stop," Aiden growled. "Be real with me. I'm not going to claim you owe me anything. But you're _better_ than that, Rose Tyler."

"I didn't lead you on or anything. You kept ringing me. I didn't want to hurt your feelings. And what would have done if I'd said no?"

"You told me about some of the most heinous creatures ever to rise up from the pits of some manner of hell. And you're going to tell me you were afraid of me? You could have easily walked away and turned your back for good."

Rose had to chase her heartbeats with quickened breaths. "What d'you want from me?"

Aiden leaned in further, so close that she could almost taste the wine on his hot breath. His skin had gone pale in the cold dampness, highlighting his hazelnut freckles, and the fire danced in his dark chocolate eyes. But his gaze was soft, gentle as his nose tickled hers. His cologne, crisp and woody wafted into her nose. Rose licked her lips and committed the sight of his deep pouty wine-stained ones to memory before closing her eyes.

"For you to be honest with yourself," Aiden whispered against her lips instead of giving her a kiss.

Accusation or not, he _was_ cruel, because now she wanted those elusive lips. Just a taste, that's all. One taste. And he knew, of course, exactly what she wanted because a sly smirk crept up to his lips as she licked hers again. He leaned in once more. When he was about to pull away Rose chased him and that pouty lip of his. Instead of kissing it she nipped it. Just as well, because he growled and chuckled his approval before licking her teeth. Rose yielded, and relinquished his lip with a pop, satisfied with how swollen it was already before it clashed with hers properly. The little remnants of fruity notes of his wine tasted much sweeter off his lips and slick tongue than it ever would from the glass. Just his tongue gliding along hers was enough to get drunk on. Maybe not in the traditional sense, but enough for him to ease Rose down to the rug as he stole every breath with his eager lips.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Rose turned her head as Aiden finally broke the kiss with several pecks up to her ear.

"Why?" Aiden whispered onto her neck. He hovered above her, but his blanket had slipped completely. Rose wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and peer down at the same time. Instead she focused on Aiden's eyes, but their intensity burning into hers wasn't much easier on the thumping of her heart against her chest, nor the growing throbbing between her thighs. "Oh, tell me it's because you care. Come on, you quit pretending it was for Torchwood a while back. Just stop holding back."

"I do care, all right? That what you want to hear?" Rose barked, hoisting herself up on her elbows. She shored up her blanket only a little. A tease of cleavage peaked out, and she knew he noticed because his grin grew that much hungrier. "What's it matter? I'm still leaving. Maybe I don't wish what happened to me for anyone."

Aiden fell to her side on top of his shed blanket and hummed into her bare shoulder. She could feel his bare skin teasing the thick plush blanket that was guarding hers. "Give it all to me Rose. Just tell me the truth."

Rose shook her head, and shivered as his damp hair tickled her neck. "I don't know how I feel about you, Aiden. Okay? I don't. But I know it sucks to be left behind, doesn't matter what the reason is."

"You got stuck here against his will, though, didn't you? You said you'd been separated. You'd have said if he left you. It's different for you. You've got a choice."

"And I'm choosing him. You want the truth, that's it right there. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Aiden sighed and kissed her cheek. He chuffed and chuckled. "A different man might have blown his top after that. Not that it matters. What do _you_ want? Right now."

A really good shag, about two sips of wine, and another go at those lips of his. Of course, that's not what she said. "Dunno."

"Sod whatever happens afterward. Right here, right now. No consequences. Do you want me to go first? Because I'll tell you, no problem." He didn't wait for her reply, instead trailing his eyes down her covered body. "I want every inch of what's wrapped up in my blanket here." He cupped her cheek, and she couldn't help but lean in to it. "Plus all this up here. Just for me, for tonight."

"Okay," Rose blurted, for lack of anything intelligent to say. "I just..."

He put his finger to her lips. "Mm mm. I'll worry about my own feelings thank you."

Aiden's finger was quickly replaced by his lips for a gentler kiss that they both sank into. She yielded to him again as his tongue brushed her lips and wrapped her arms around his bare back. Her blanket wrap slipped when they rested on the rug again, baring her chest to his. He groaned into her mouth. His fingers had been pressing down on her shoulder but they left her in favor of resting his weight on hers. His chest was soft meeting hers, and she found herself snaking her arms around his back just to bring it closer. Her nipples wrinkled and pebbled in the cold. Aiden growled against her cheek after he released her lips and yanked the rest of her blanket away.

"Fuck," Rose swore as his belly met her side and his fuzzy thighs wrapped around her leg.

"How long has it been for you?" Aiden whispered into her neck behind her ear, leaving a hot sigh there.

The math was painful. If Keisha and Shareen knew they'd be raking her over the coals by now, she was sure of that. Rose was 19 when she'd stepped onto the TARDIS. She was 22 when she said goodbye to the Doctor, and 24 when she said hello to Aiden, only a few months shy of her birthday. Oh, the math was so painful.

Rose hiccuped instead of answering. Surely she didn't need to say. "Tell me... tell me more about what you want," she urged. Anything to distract her from the aching throb fueling her desires and the cold kissing damp bits of skin where his lips had been, from her neck to her shoulder.

"I want you and your trust," he obliged with a smile pressed to the ball of her shoulder. "I want you to quit thinking for once and relax, so we can have a night I promise you won't forget."

"Easy for you to say," Rose rasped as Aiden let his tongue slide along her skin where her breast met her arm.

He untangled his fingers from hers and trailed them down her arm to her other breast. She leaned in to his palm and moaned as the fire beside them snapped and popped. Its heat grew as it intensified, all logs glowing and bringing a bit of radiance to the darkness. But the heat at least wasn't needed anymore, as they were generating plenty of their own. Relax, right. He was anything but relaxed. Just as she was getting used to him touching her, massaging her still slick skin and kneading it between his fingers, he introduced a new sensation. Rose gasped when Aiden cupped her breast with his mouth, trapping as much of it between his lips as he could and flicked his tongue along its eager bud. He gave her just a moment to relish this before he returned his lips to hers. His lazy kisses were her new favorites. He missed twice, trapping her jaw and cheek between his swollen lips. Before she knew it he was sucking a breast back into his mouth, and she was grappling at his damp tresses to keep him there.

"Why me?" Rose sighed.

Aiden released her skin with a slick pop and quirked a brow at her. He caught her ear in his teeth and gave it just a bit of a nibble, making her moan. "Your determination is staggering. I feel sorry for the poor sod that fucks with Rose Tyler." He paused and breathed a sigh onto her shoulder before catching some flesh there between his lips. He was relentless. Rose hissed as he stung her with the bruise his lips left. "But I've seen that plenty. You're also gentle." He smoothed his fingers over her bruise. She'd have thought a man of his age would be beyond leaving love bites. But for Aiden in a strange way it made sense. "You're gentle and kind."

"I'm still going for the dimension cannon," Rose pushed as Aiden moved south. She reached for his shoulder, not ready for him to go anywhere.

He didn't answer to this. Instead he kissed her ribs and she watched his fingers dance over her them like a pianist enjoying a new piano. Rose let her hands follow the ridges of his spine until they met his bum. He grinned and rocked his hips against her leg. But the flesh between them was markedly soft. He froze and swore. Rose bit her lip and swept her hand up his side while the other squeezed his bony hip sympathetically. She swallowed a bit of nerves like a rock in her gullet and pulled him up to her face so she could distract him with gentle kisses. He pounded the wooden floor beside the rug and roared a growl before she hushed him.

"Are we maybe moving too fast?" Rose offered. "Is it me?"

"No!" Aiden growled. He nipped her neck and grumbled frustration. "No, you're fucking perfect."

Rose gasped when he bucked his hips. It didn't matter to her that he was soft. A man hadn't been between her legs in... well she had her reasons. Good reasons. Come to think of it Rose hadn't really ever been with a proper man. She was still so young with Mick. But now, as she hugged Aiden and squirmed under his frustration she felt it grossly inappropriate to think about anyone else but him for the moment. She pushed at his shoulder and leaned into him to encourage him to roll, which he did. Rose took a moment to admire him as he squeezed his eyes shut and faced the dark ceiling. The fire light glowed on his clammy skin, highlighting his lean frame. He was lean, but compact. She couldn't help but drive her hand up his torso from his hips to his shoulder just to memorize every muscle in between. He had a scar on his belly that she traced with her finger and her lips, making him sigh her name. Some time she'd have to learn the story behind it. She doubted he was a war hero like his grandad, but it was nice to dream about for a moment.

"Just you and me right now," Rose offered with a kiss on his navel.

He didn't offer her a witty comeback or tease, just sighed and clawed at his rug. She couldn't get a good read on him. Was he frustrated with his own anatomy or restraining himself? She couldn't say, but she'd been given free reign. She kissed her way up his ribs, along the same path he'd just taken on her body. Rose nuzzled his sheet-thin lawn of chest hair before swirling her tongue over each nipple until they hardened just a bit. Her hand meanwhile was making a steady path south, and Rose felt Aiden's chest quaking with every breath the closer she got to his soft cock. She curled up next to him and massaged his hip for a minute before taking him in hand. He sucked in a sharp breath and bucked into her wrist. Rose thought about asking if it was okay, but a soft whimper escaping his lips and his eyebrows knitting together were all the encouragement she needed. She gave him a few tentative strokes before setting a gentle rhythm, bringing her thumb across his tip briefly as she searched for sensitive spots around his neck.

"I've got an idea. Turn around, Rose," Aiden groaned in between her kisses along his ear.

Just when she was getting into it, of course. Rose lifted her head and frowned. "What?"

He gripped her bum, making her gasp a little, and tugged. "Turn around."

Rose's eyes went wide, but she complied with Aiden's help guiding her hips back towards his face. She yipped as she curled her toes and rolled her ankles, forgetting the one had been smarting. There was nothing to distract Rose from the fact that Aiden had an eyeful of her sex. The mere thought sent her reeling. They maintained a respectable distance for a minute or two, all the while Rose made every attempt at focusing on her task of bringing his cock to attention. Her free hand fidgeted over his thigh, so soft and inviting. She left a few kisses on each one, inciting a couple of grunts before she brought her lips closer to his cock. The notion that her lips might wrap around it was doing half the work for her. She did the other half without even thinking. Aiden brought her hips down and pressed his nose to the lips of her sex. Rose gulped, and took a few deep breaths just to focus on staying still. It was more than a little difficult to sit still with his cock twitching against her cheek. Aiden made the first move, raking his tongue between her folds. The slick warmth gliding along her sensitive flesh was enough to make her crash down to his belly. He chuckled and dragged her up to his face. Rose whimpered his name into his hip. A plea for what, she had no clue.

"Oh, say that again," Aiden beckoned with a kiss on the back of her thigh.

Rose needed no more encouragement than his lips on her clit. Just a kiss, a tease of a kiss. She bit back a growl, and rocked back on her knees. She tried to concentrate, really. She went into it with every intent to pleasure Aiden. If this was his one night, he ought to enjoy it. And by the sounds of his chuckling into her sex as she squealed at him, he was. He brought her clit into his mouth and grazed his teeth along the throbbing nub. He didn't even leave her time to how often he did this. But she kept calling out his name. Well, more like gurgled whimpers and sighs meant to somewhat resemble the name Aiden. Rose shut her eyes and collected herself with a few deep breaths that fell apart rather quickly.

"It's been a while," Rose mumbled.

"I'm okay with that."

And it was no wonder, as she could swear he mumbled something about how tight she was into her thigh as a finger grazed her entrance. Rose felt bloody well useless. It had been so long, _too_ long since she'd been with man. And she couldn't even tell Aiden that she'd scarcely ever had a man's face between her legs, making nerves she wasn't even aware of fire and flesh swell under his tongue. Within minutes her hips began to want to escape the flicks of his tongue, and it didn't take long for him to grow tired of chasing them. His fingers became talons on her bum to keep her still. The little bit of pain mixed with tightly coiled pleasure and heat from the fire, all serving to overpower the part of her that wanted to believe doing this with Aiden was wrong. Regret, guilt, and betrayal were circling her pleasure like vultures to dinner as Rose sat up and arched her back.

"Yes," he hissed before sucking her hot button back into his mouth.

She might have asked how he knew she was close, except that she felt herself writhing madly above him. Aiden hooked his arms around her thighs and held her down as he chased every little nerve ending he could find. Regret, guilt, and betrayal started to melt away as Rose felt tension building with every sweep of his tongue, every squeak of his lips on her swollen flesh. She'd never wanted to let herself get here with anyone but _him_ , partly for fear of uttering the wrong man's name. There was no mistaking the chuckling sighs, the growls paired with grazing teeth along her skin, the talons clutching her hips. They were Aiden's, and it was his name that she whimpered one more time before she came undone.

He was perfectly still beneath her as she shrugged her shoulders into her neck, twitching and writhing her way through her climax. It felt as though Aiden had simultaneously set her ablaze and melted away years of pent up frustrations. In the middle of it all Aiden might have mumbled something about condoms, and she might have flapped her arm at her purse on his couch. At some point she flopped over on his rug and surrendered, regretting rather shamelessly that she only had the one emergency condom in her purse. At least she knew now that Aiden was anything but boring.

"Penny for your thoughts," he whispered in her ear as he curled up next to her.

"You're not boring," Rose sighed.

He chuffed. "That's what you take away from that? My tongue's almost numb and all I get is I'm not boring?" He got up and hovered over her. "Oh that's it, you asked for it."

"You asked," Rose retorted, making her best attempt at doe eyes. He knew her as well as he implied, she realized, when he growled and narrowed his eyes at her.

"If I'm right I've only got the one night. I'm going to use it well."

"Aiden..."

He hushed her with his lips pressed to hers. His kiss could've bruised, his teeth clashing with hers. He was done playing, if he ever had been. Aiden parted his lips to moan as he shifted to lie between her legs, and this time she found his cock as stiff as a board. It was enough to distract her from the new sensation of tasting her own ripeness on his tongue instead of the wine she'd gotten used to. He handed her the foil packet he'd fished out of her purse. Surely some things were like riding a bicycle for a man. But his eyes told her a different story. He'd never seen them so open, so soft, glowing so gently in the fire light. He almost looked worried. But there was something else. With one hand clutching the condom, she brought the other around his neck and gave him the gentlest kiss she could manage. Rose hadn't been with more than a few men, but what they all had in common was at this point in the game permission was assumed. Aiden asked. Maybe not with words. But after all his forwardness and arrogance, he still asked. Rose didn't want to wonder what happened in his life that encouraged this, but she was glad for it. She tore open the foil packet and felt his warm sigh as she slowly rolled it on.

The moment was fleeting. As soon as she was done, he leaned back down with a groan and caught her wrists with his hands, planting them to the floor beside her head. His brow wrinkled and he leaned in, bringing his teeth along her earlobe. Her chest quaked with each breath. She was still feeling aftershocks from the climax he'd brought her to. She couldn't see them but felt those hungry eyes from dinner on her skin again. If he was a lion she'd be his dinner already.

"I'm not going anywhere. Not tonight," Rose whispered as her heart started pounding in her ears.

He released his grip on her wrists and pulled back up. For a moment he'd almost looked like he was ready for a fight, until he saw she was genuine. His lip trembled and he opened his mouth to speak. But she shook her head and coiled her arm back around his neck. A bitterness rose in Rose's throat, and she swallowed it hard when she began to form an idea. Later, she told herself. Aiden hid his face in her neck and let his hips sink down to hers. Rose snaked her hand between them and guided his cock along her folds until he found the sweet spot. He sighedrelief with her as he sank into her heat. He moved quick, not as gently as she might have expected. So as she adjusted around him, still trembling with pleasure from her last orgasm, Rose whimpered with a twinge of pain. She bit down on his shoulder. It seemed to spur him on, and he began to rock his hips, gently at first.

"I want you thinking of me, over there," Aiden muttered into her neck. He lifted his head and made sure she saw his stony gaze burrowing into her eyes. "You know what? Fuck it, I don't want you leaving."

Rose let her arms fall back to the floor, and Aiden captured them again. But this time he threaded his fingers in hers. His ring finger had no impression left as it pressed against hers. It had been a while for him, too. Of course he'd pull out such an important revelation just as Rose was relishing in wrapping around his girth and hooking her legs around his back. She'd taken the knowledge for granted until he said it aloud. She'd taken _him_ for granted. Aiden pulled her legs from around his back so he could lean on her thighs and deepen his angle. Her eyes fluttered shut when she realized just how deep as he leaned forward to kiss her. Now wasn't the time to offer him sweetness or a promise on thin ice. They both knew the truth. It burned between them, hotter than the white center of the fire beside them. She didn't even want to bring thought to it. Aiden, for the briefest of moments as he sank deeper and deeper into her, had her wanting to escape from the truth.

Of course it wasn't all about a good shag. She wasn't that shallow. There was something dangerous about Aiden, something about him that encouraged her to simply let go. And it made no sense, because this was the man that had troubles letting anything go himself. In that regard they might have been perfect for one another. All she knew at that moment, she decided all she _wanted_ to know was he felt like the perfect fit. He felt like the fire that would smolder in her chest long after the one in his fireplace faded to ashes. Rose would've loved to say she barely knew him. She would've loved to say she didn't want to know him. But she knew him probably as well as he did her. He'd pulled her in. Aiden was a singularly intriguing man; angry but gentle, demanding and arrogant, relentless and determined.

She saw it all at once as he thrust quicker, deeper, harder, chasing every gasp and moan she offered him. He released her hand to comb his fingers through her damp hair as he stole her breath with bruising kisses. The crashes of thunder outside were relentless, but they melted away into Aiden's hoarse growls and cries of her name. She'd never forget how Aiden Hoynes called her name, how his gravelly voice sounded smooth as warm breeze when the word rolled off his lips. It sounded almost like a plea, the same one a dog hunting a rabbit would bay as he fruitlessly chased after it. Only Rose surrendered completely, entirely. For a few moments it felt like they ran together, an all too familiar sensation. They chased after pleasure with her little words of encouragement. It was the most she could offer him in that moment, as time wouldn't be on their side. Soon it would end, soon she too would fade away like the flood waters after a storm.

It came sooner than even Aiden appeared to be ready for. His eyes flew open as he slammed his hips into hers, staring off at the fire with a lost expression falling over his face. Rose's legs fell and she hugged him tight. He gave in to her, heart pounding from his chest to hers as their clammy, damp skin stuck together, rendering them inseparable. At least if he had his way they might be inseparable. She had the waves of her orgasm and his to ride, easing herself back down, to decide what to say to Aiden.

He spoke first. "Stay with me."

Rose sank into the rug and kissed Aiden's forehead, cheek and shoulder. "Tonight."

"No," he argued, and thrust his hips against her, teasing her with his softening cock.

"Aiden..." Rose pleaded. He remained silent. "As long as I can."

With these words, bitter as they fell off her tongue, he rolled over and brought her into a spoon facing the fire and letting its soft glow lull them both to sleep.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiden Hoynes helps Rose secure the funding she needs for the dimension cannon. Despite her determination to get back to the Doctor, Rose finds herself falling for the Vice President. It's not enough to keep her from continuing her work, until her project is shut down and Rose learns she's pregnant. The man she would have turned to in her grief might be the same one who betrayed her trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a healthy dose of angst in this chapter. It's also slightly NSFW towards the beginning.

Rose's mobile probably did go off promptly at 6:30 as it ought to. But she'd left it downstairs, so when she woke up it wasn't to slam it back down on the table or toss it to the floor. She awoke feeling toasty in a proper bed cuddled up in his arms. Though she felt like she was in a daze, drifting in a fog of daydreams and lust, she had no illusions as to who was wrapped around her and purring under his breath as he drew her near. Rose groaned as she groped for a clock on his nightstand and whimpered when she saw the time. 10:12. It bordered on obscene that Rose had been at Aiden's for over 12 hours. He'd asked her to stay, which reminded her she hadn't overstayed her welcome. Still, what did it look like, staying over at a bloke's for as long as she had? The longer she stayed the harder it was becoming to leave. Rose grumbled and rolled over in Aiden's arms, tucking her head into the nook between his chest and arm.

"Have you looked outside? I doubt anyone will be going in to work today, Rose," Aiden appealed.

"You know I'm not just anyone," she muttered into his bicep, dropping a kiss there. "I've got to head down and check my mobile, text Micks." She sighed. That involved moving.

Rose cursed herself and Aiden under her breath. A hint of shame washed over her, finding herself in another man's bed. That in itself was all the more reason to get in to work. Any day now they were to begin testing the dimension cannon. Every hour she spent away from Torchwood was another hour away from the Doctor. And here she was hiding in another man's bed, with her head pressed to his chest and his morning wood poking her belly, all because she got too comfortable. Aiden threw Rose with his willingness to be that comfort. The Doctor had told Rose in no uncertain terms that he wasn't available romantically because she would someday leave him, albeit due to her own mortality rather than a cruel turn in fate as it turned out. It didn't matter that she planned on getting back to him, the issue would still present itself. Despite his uncanny likeness to the Doctor, Aiden approached their similar predicament so differently. The fact that Rose was curled up naked with him in bed was proof. Aiden was very much like the fire they'd shagged in front of: inviting, warm, and dangerous.

"I'll go grab it, you stay here," Aiden offered as he slid out of bed.

Rose tugged Aiden's crisp stormy gray and blue covers up to her eyes, drawn to the sight of him casually strolling across the room naked. She gulped down all of his features that were too dark to see properly in the firelight last night, from the dimples above his arse to his sculpted runner's legs, gently chiseled stomach, and his fading erection bobbing in the cool morning air. Rose chewed her lip as he disappeared out of sight. He walked with his head held high, seemingly indifferent to her gaping at him. He returned a minute later with her purse in hand, and deposited it next to her on the bed. He sat up in bed next to her as she texted Mickey, leaning up against the frame flipping through the politics sections of the morning papers. His indifference was mildly unnerving. One night with him and he had her wanting his undivided attention, the sneaky bastard.

Aiden neatly folded his newspapers and sat them on the bed next to Rose as she chucked her mobile into her purse. "What's the verdict?"

"It'll be a couple hours before anyone can get over here," Rose griped. "D'you suppose you could drive me over? I should really get to work."

Aiden plowed right though his air of calm, kicking back the covers and flipping over so he was towering over Rose. He snarled at her under his breath and caught her gaze with wild, racing eyes darting over her naked body. Images of their midnight romp came flooding back to Rose, of her chewing on his pillow as he drove into her. His lips and teeth laid claim to her as he entangled his fingers in her hair, lightly tugging. His free hand was between her and the mattress, trapping her clit between his fingers. Every other man wanted to be the only one his lover wound up with. His lover. Rose shuddered. No, Aiden had told her he wanted to be the one Rose thought of, that he wanted to send her home with lasting memories. He'd accomplish both, she could say that much. And now he towered over Rose with a hungry look returning to his eyes very reminiscent of last night.

"You think I'm going to help you leave me? I won't keep you, Rose. But I'm not going to aid in the process either," Aiden whispered, his ripe morning breath warming her cheek. "A couple hours won't kill you, will it? If you like you can walk out that front door right now and leave me behind. But if you stay I'll fix us some breakfast and we can spend this little bit of time together."

~*~*~*~

"So then what happened?"

Rose shook her head and looked up. The whitewashed walls and antiseptic funk coated the air. "What?"

"With Aiden! Oh come on, it was getting good!" Martha prodded with her elbow as she finished her final batter of tests.

"We had sandwiches for breakfast because there was no power. No hot water either," Rose shuddered. "We snuggled up in his blanket in front of the fireplace while he told me stories about his grandad is all. Really, that's it."

Martha put her equipment tray down on a glass table behind her and folded her arms. "You don't sound so convinced of that."

Rose fiddled with the buttons on her jumper and sighed before bringing the back of her hand up to her face. She brought her lips to the very spot he kissed as she walked out his front door. "He just," Rose mumbled into her hand. "He told me about how his grandad, a colonel in the French army, was forced to make a choice between his country and his love. I can't stop thinking about how he looked at me as he said it, like he was looking right into my soul."

Martha plopped herself on a stool and wheeled it over to the infirmary bed Rose was seated on. "He wants you to stay, right? That's pretty subtle of him, considering. What happened after that?"

Rose chewed her lip and fought a smirk. "I kissed him."

A wicked smile burst forth on Martha's face and she shouted, "Ha! I knew it!"

Rose hopped off the bed and started out of the room, not wanting to encourage any more of this. "Wait. Knew _what_? It's nothing compared to the shagging, isn't it?"

"Listen to yourself. _You_ snogged _him_."

Rose swung her leather jacket on and fished a small yellow disc out of one of its pockets. She brushed her thumb over the metal coils and squeezed it in her palm. "None of it matters, Martha. I'm leaving. Today. I don't know where I'll find myself, but if it's with the Doctor I'm not coming back. He's the one I made a promise to, and I'm keeping it."

She did care for Aiden, that was true. How could she not fall for a man that looked so much like the one she already knew, but was willing to open up to her? Aiden was dangerous, stopping at nothing to get what he wanted. And look where it landed him, Vice President, right where he wanted to be. Ready to swoop in and take over as President whenever Freya decided she couldn't handle it, he'd said. He let her walk right out his front door. But what would he want from her if she'd stayed? A trophy girlfriend he could parade around the capital on his arm? A proper domestic life with him and his kids? What did Aiden want from Rose? He knew the sort of life she led. He'd seen it. He also knew that now that Rose had what she wanted from him that they wouldn't be seeing one another anymore. And that was probably for the best. For one night Rose gave in and let go. In that one night Rose realized just how dangerously magnetic Aiden Hoynes could be. That was one thing he had in common with the Doctor. Was that the sort of man Rose went for? Martha was right, Rose did fancy him, just not enough. She'd made a promise of forever to the man she truly loved, and she'd be damned before failing in her mission to return to him.

Today was the day. The closest they'd come to real tests was hooking up one to a simple robot. The first dozen never went anywhere, and were fried at the press of a button. The next several moved, but only on their side of the universe, having failed to open up a hole in the universe. One went as far as a tiny Polynesian island. Well, _next_ to an island. That's when they learned that neither the device nor the robot were waterproof. Following this they managed to find a tiny loophole in the device's circuitry that would allow them to pass through universes, albeit in a different manner than its predecessor. Two whole years of extensive testing ran Rose ragged. And last night's romp with Aiden proved it. She was so exhausted she let herself fall right into the arms of another man. No more. They were ready. And in the event that the first jump landed Rose in her home universe, her family gathered in the basement of Torchwood to say goodbye. Her family and Aiden.

"What're you doing here?" Rose whispered angrily, pulling him aside into a dimly lit, unoccupied corner.

"What does it look like?" Aiden retorted, straightening his suit. He played along and pulled her behind a stack of crates before leaning in to give her lips a little peck. "Saying goodbye."

Rose swallowed hard and licked the sugary cinnamon Aiden left on her lips. He'd bought a roll from the bakery down the road, she realized. "You're not!" Rose started amidst this thought. Aiden quirked an eyebrow and curled a corner of his lips. "You're not allowed down here!"

Aiden didn't dignify this with a reply straightaway. Instead, he leaned in, letting Rose bathe in his new cologne, a heavy woody scent that clung to his crisp charcoal suit, and gave her another few pecks. He took this as a cue and snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her into him until she melted in his arms. Rose let him deepen the kiss the next time and yipped when his vigor had him nipping her lip. She felt her head throbbing when she released a hot sigh into his neck.

"I haven't got much time."

"They're waiting on you," Aiden pointed out, and curled a finger under her chin. "Look at me, Rose." She obliged, swimming in all of the fervor buzzing off his skin and darkening his eyes. "Remember when I made you laugh the first time? Probably not. I do. You nearly choked on a chip and I laughed at you. You wanted to scowl at me but you couldn't. You grinned and we both laughed." Rose's eyes betrayed her, glistening a bit. Aiden's face brightened. He must have realized she did remember. "I know you must have laughed plenty since you got stuck here. But that one was for me." Rose nodded. "I'm keeping it, and our times together. Those are ours. The night we slept together? Just you and me." Rose hugged him tight and kissed his crisp, plum colored tie. "He better fucking love you, this Doctor."

"He does," Rose promised, sniffing. "I'm probably not going to find him on the first few tries. This doesn't have to be the last time we see each other." How quickly he'd gotten her to flip her switch.

Aiden returned with his gentlest smile. "It's best if it is."

Rose sniffed in a deep breath, hard. "I couldn't have this without you. Why do this?"

"Because if in the off chance you picked me, I wanted it to be honest. One honest win. If I had one, I wanted it to be you." He swept his hand across her face, and she shamelessly leaned into it before he combed his fingers through her hair and undid her bun. How could one night change so much? "I don't want to be anyone's second choice. Do you?" Rose swallowed hard and shook her head. "Go on then. Go get your Doctor bloke."

Rose gave Aiden a peck on the cheek and pulled away, squeezing his hand before taking in one last memory of him. She darted around the crates and sucked in a deep breath. She smiled when she saw the array of machinery before her as she fished her little yellow disc out of her pocket. Doctor, she thought. She was getting back to him if it killed her. It wasn't about love. Not entirely. If only she could convince Aiden of this. Love was what dragged her out of bed every morning. Her goal was to get back to that life. Standing still was eating away at her psyche little by little. What monstrosities were rising from the seedy depths of the other side of the universe to threaten the Doctor and innocent lives while Rose was trying to escape the domesticity on this side? Would he be proud of Rose for what she'd done for this side of the universe?

She wouldn't find out right away. Rose knew she was in for a rough time when her first few jumps were way off. Her first jump was terrifying, into a world where the Cold War actually resulted in nuclear attacks between Russia and the United States, leaving the world in a state of disarray. The next was much more pleasant. The movement to save the environment actually worked. Rose didn't mind being stuck for a few weeks in a world where there were more dirt roads than paved ones, where people walked everywhere, and cars were mostly a thing of the past. There were so many trees that the aroma of evergreen was inescapable.

Nobody but Jake was there to receive Rose when she returned from this one, since she'd been gone a couple of days in their time everyone thought she'd found the Doctor. It occurred to Rose then, the heartrending realization that her family and friends may never know if she found the Doctor if she never came back from a jump. What if she got stuck indefinitely somewhere as she had with this universe? She was grateful then, for the compulsory waiting period between jumps for the cannon to recharge. Each jump also left her feeling completely drained as well as dreadfully nauseous. Against Martha's orders Rose had taken to not eating anything if she was using the dimension cannon. When Martha found out about this, she enforced the waiting period between jumps, just to make certain that Rose's health didn't suffer. Rose couldn't be too angry, as it gave her time to spend with her family. Rose felt awash with guilt when she found that Tony was growing up without her even when she was on this side of the universe. He learned to walk while they were testing out the dimension cannon. While Rose was taking her first several jumps he began speaking in phrases, and started calling her Rose rather than Ro Ro.

Rose began to shy away from the public eye more and more while they were setting coordinates and making jumps. As a result she was all over the media even more so than she had been before. They all wanted to speculate as to what happened. The prevailing theory was the new golden couple had broken up. One magazine threw together all of the photos of Rose and Aiden together. Thumbing through this magazine, with shots of Rose on Aiden's arm and them having lunch together (even though Mick and Jake attended one), she had to admit it was easy for her to see how they looked like a couple. She had Pete contact one of the papers that his friend owned to tell them to leave Aiden alone, because they published photo after photo of him with the notes of him looking sad or brokenhearted. It was one of the few times Rose would use her social standing that way. It was unsightly for a Vice President to be appearing in the papers as a celebrity. It was best that Aiden moved on, Rose thought. She had nothing to offer him but disappointment. How he ever thought Rose could make him happy mystified her. He must have seen something in her that simply wasn't there.

It was just as well. With each jump Rose felt herself getting closer. She found a universe with Earth overtaken by a race resembling the Raxicoricofalipatorians. She felt compelled to stay in this one for a while, to help a rebel faction overthrow the alien government. It took another few weeks, but in the end it was worth it, they were successful. Rose couldn't recall returning from this universe. She woke up in a daze in Torchwood's infirmary with no idea how she got there or how much time had passed since she'd gotten back. At least this time she wasn't alone. A hand gripped hers tight, and began shouting to the rafters the moment her eyes flickered open.

"She's awake! Martha! She's awake! Come on then hurry up will ya?"

Mum.

Rose could almost feel Martha's eyes rolling from the hallway before she strolled in calmly, not at all fazed by her mum's shouting and frantic energy. Though she felt like her head had been in a vice, Rose was beginning to get her bearings when Martha sighed and set her clipboard down on a table. The whitewashed walls of the infirmary came into focus, but the antiseptic smell had her stomach lurching. Rose's hand flew to it to keep its contents in place.

"No point in that, love," her mum pointed out gently with a kiss to her hand. "Gotten rid of it all already, I reckon."

Rose turned to Martha, who nodded. "Was it really bad this time?" Rose asked.

Martha sighed again. Something was wrong. The monitor behind her infirmary bed began ticking a bit faster as she searched Martha's normally soft features for clues. Her expression was schooled and stony like a statue's, but riddled with worry just under the surface. "You could say that. You brought back an alien virus this time."

Rose snorted. That all? "How long have I got?" It was their running gag for when Torchwood work sent them to the infirmary. Usually it was foolhardy Jake who won the prize of most frequent visits, with Rose coming in second, and Mickey in third.

"Well, after you got us all sick, right nasty bug it was, _you'll_ be just fine. Right now it's not you that I'm worried about. You're through the thick of it. I'd let you go home to rest."

Rose frowned. "What are you talking about?" Martha took a deep breath. "Martha?"

Martha didn't speak, instead reaching for a remote to turn on the infirmary's telly and dvd player. She pressed play, and a gray video came to life on the screen. An ultrasound. Rose might not know what she was looking at, except the hints were so strong, the words that Martha was afraid to say. Rose looked to her for answers, but she choked up, robbed of any tact by the image of a flapping graybean on the screen. So her mum spoke the words instead.

"Darling, you're pregnant," she muttered just above a whisper.

Hot tears streaked Rose's face in an instant, ready and waiting merely at the sight of the screen. "No, I'm not."

Martha cleared her throat and sat up. "That's your baby right there. Just about 4 cm, about 11 weeks. You're practically through your first trimester already. I guess time passes quicker in other dimensions?"

The urge to run began to well up in Rose's veins, but she felt like she'd been hit by a freight train. She couldn't move. "No," she shook her head violently and whimpered. "No! You're wrong!" Her voice raised with her desire to make it not true, to catch her mum and Martha in a lie. "We used protection," she added with a grimace. "It's not true!"

Her mum squeezed her hand tight. "Shouting at Martha won't make it go away, darling."

Rose turned to her, wanting to fall into her arms. Her mum got out of her chair and scooted onto the gurney, leaning over to receive a crushing hug. "What am I supposed to tell the Doctor, mum?" she bleated weakly between heaving breaths.

Already she was coming up with explanations and contingency plans. She had to get to the Doctor before she was too far along to use the dimension cannon. It was already taking its toll on her body. What would happen two, three, and four months down the line? It would certainly be better to reunite with the Doctor before she began showing, to ease him into the idea. An abortion wasn't an option. She couldn't face him knowing she'd harmed an innocent life. It was so against everything the Doctor believed in, everything _she_ believed in. Even if it was her choice, the mere thought had her stomach in twists. Its sides were grinding angrily against one another, reminding her once again of her failure to nourish herself properly. It was no wonder her eating had been so off. She'dchalked her missed period up to stress. It wouldn't be the first time.

Rose had to believe the Doctor would slow down for her, if only for a little while. He loved her, she knew he did. She firmly believed it, even if he never said it. She felt it. He could love any life she brought into the world, even if he didn't play a part in its creation. He had to. It did mean approaching the topic of her sleeping with somebody else. She didn't want to come with miles of that one. She'd have to cross that bridge when she got to it. But she had to believe he'd forgive her. It all sounded wild and foolish. Just another hurdle. As long as she could get back to the Doctor and the TARDIS she would be just fine.

"When can I do my next jump?" Rose asked while sweeping her arm across her face.

The room fell eerily silent. Her heart rate marked each moment that her mum and Martha couldn't answer. Each heartbeat had more dread creeping up the back of her neck, making the hairs stand at attention. She held her breath waiting to hear what the hell was going on, until it felt tight and ached. She swallowed hard. It must have been only a few seconds that passed. But it felt like an hour, Rose's head whipping from her mum's to Martha's. They both knew. They both avoided her chasing gaze. Her mum squeezed her hand tighter and fixed her gaze to the monitor depicting her grandchild. So Rose focused on Martha, boring into her until her bouncing leg nearly had her stumbling to the floor.

"You can't," Martha confessed, and closed her eyes, as if to hide from her.

"WHAT?" Rose shot up, nearly throwing her mum off the gurney. Her eyes bulged, heart raced, and her stomach lurched violently in protest.

"They came and dismantled it yesterday. You had a nasty fever, were in and out of consciousness. And a few floors up anyway. We didn't want to make it worse by telling you before you were out of danger."

"They? _Who_? Dismantled? We'll just put it back together again!"

Martha stood up, approached the bed, and gently pushed Rose back down. "Dismantled and _destroyed_."

"No!" Rose shouted. She felt her heart sinking into her belly. "Some of those parts were irreplaceable! We can't make another one without them! What did they do with them?"

"They really were destroyed. We watched them do it," a calm male voice announcedfrom the door. Pete. "A whole stack of men wearing MI5 uniforms came whirling in and out. Got their orders directly from Downing Street, they said."

"But that makes no sense!" Rose howled. "Why didn't anyone stop them?"

Mickey popped his head in the doorway behind Pete, and gently shoved his way in. "We was all worried about you. Or ill."

He was wearing hospital jim jams. So Rose had gotten him ill. He shrugged his shoulders and rubbed the back of his head. Mickey approached the bed tentatively when he saw her face properly. Rose reached out to him, and he came hobbling over to sit on the other side of her gurney. She fell into his arms not a moment after he put his feet up on the bed. Grief came out in gobs of tears and sniffs. But she didn't have to believe it. Not yet. Not Rose. Not the Rose Tyler that the Doctor never stopped believing in.

"I want to see," Rose sat up further and announced, fighting the intense throbbing in her skull.

Everyone in the room exchanged glances, but all eyes fell on Pete, who gestured to the doorway, averting Rose's pleading eyes. A silence crept into the cold, sickly smelling room; broken only by the heart monitor's beeping and Martha's stool squealing as she wheeled across the room to grab a wheelchair. Rose's mum slid off her infirmary bed and stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. She knew that pronounced frown too well. Mickey's started to look quite a bit like it over the years. Rose had come to dread them both, as much as she loved her mum and Mickey. Mickey, Pete and Jackie filed out of the room so Martha could fix Rose's hospital gown and IV.

Rose's mind and heart were racing, too much to be bothered by the fact that she was being wheeled around Torchwood in little more than a sheet covering her. Everyone they passed, all personnel ducked their heads when they saw Rose. Everyone knew one piece of information or the other. She guessed that the rumor mill was running full speed when some women did offer her a sympathetic gaze. But most people avoided looking at her altogether, as if she'd lost someone. Essentially she had. That much hadn't changed in two years. The grief welling up inside was all too familiar. She could almost feel the sting in her eyes already. Her heart drummed in her skull harder and harder the closer they got to the basement, until Martha wheeled her inside and it stopped entirely.

The air in the dimension cannon garage was stale and cold as always. The chill slapped Rose in the face this time, and pricked every inch of exposed skin. Mickey, her mum, Pete, and Jake stood in two rows, ready to receive her as if they were her pallbearers. Martha stopped the wheelchair in the middle of the room after Jake cleared away some of the debris. The dimension cannon equipment was all around her in pieces at her feet. Nearly every foot of the floor was covered in shards of glass, plastic, and steel, ready to pierce her if she dared stray from her wheelchair.

Rose's mum stood back a ways. Her shoes weren't equipped to be stepping in any of it. But her sympathy wafted in Rose's direction. Rose looked back to see her hands pressed to her face, a mask to hide her frayed heartstrings from her daughter. She was seeing this for the first time too. Of course her mum stayed by her side the entire time. Rose hiccuped and clawed the hardened leather armrests of her wheelchair. Her mum swore and hastily waded through the debris to reach her chair. Rose cried her name and snatched her hand. The tears flowed so freely, so naturally.

Martha kicked at bits of debris as she stepped around the chair and bent over to pick up a familiar piece. This one was intact. A round yellow and metal disc with a chain on it. Rose would recognize it anywhere. Some nights she'd even slept with it. It was her connection to the Doctor, her promise that she'd return to her home universe, her lifeline. It always seemed to resonate a sort of faint energy, almost as if listening really close would produce a heartbeat. If all of the dimensions in the universe were part of one organ, the Void was an empty heart. The dimension cannon was its pacemaker, finding a beat. Each beat was one dimension. The stronger the beat, the closer it was to her Doctor. Martha handed the device to Rose. But instead of a faint energy circling around the metal coils, a cold and lifeless hunk of metal and plastic sat in her palm. It was dead. Suddenly the thin vein connecting her to the Doctor, to home, was severed.

"I want to see the security footage," Rose murmured into the vast silence.

Once again, all eyes turned to her. "I don't think that's a good idea," Pete answered. "I've seen it, Rose. It's not pretty."

"We've got to get you back to bed anyway. You're not out of danger just yet, and you're looking more than a bit peaky. We've got you and the baby to look after now."

"The baby."

Rose's stomach lurched, despite her mother's urging that it was empty. Once, twice...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Rose awoke in her own room. She hadn't blacked out, no. Each moment after that simply raced past on the motorway that was her consciousness. She walked blindly, closed off to the world. Every now and again she opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of what was occurring around her. Just enough. Bed. Mum. Mum's hand. Mick's hand. Martha begging her to eat. Tony crying because he didn't want to be left alone with the ghost his sister became. Jake walking her down a hall. Pete helping her into a car parked in the loading dock of Torchwood so reporters wouldn't see her. Another bed. Mum begging her to eat now.

"It's just like before. At least we know what to do this time," her mum told someone outside her bedroom door. "She's starting to show, you know. 13 weeks gone and you can see it all. I just, what do we do, Pete? She's so thin."

Rose brought the covers up to her face and buried her head in them. They couldn't know she was awake, not beyond a closed door. Still, she'd been reduced to a deaf invalid again. She changed the sheets since _he_ called her to Bad Wolf Bay. Her mum had the sense to change the ones she'd been using since then, the gaudy blue ones. Now they were a faded pastel pink, soft and inviting and smothering. A tray was left on her nightstand, untouched. Chips, from her favorite chippy down the street from her flat. They must have been cold. Cold, and desperate. They were trying so hard. And all she could do was lie there, playing the role of lifeless husk and host to the result of her tremendous mistake.

Somewhere in all the haze of the past two weeks Rose worked out exactly what had happened. It was all speculation, but she'd be damned if it wasn't accurate. What she knew was Aiden got too close to Torchwood. It became his toy, or perhaps a jewel on his crown. It didn't matter. He got too comfortable. Opening up Torchwood's doors to the government was an atrocious idea from the start. But what was done was done. Pete had so many projects to fund, and the dimension cannon was merely one of them. He refused to fritter his money away on one project, which was his right. Rose didn't fault him for it. Aiden was willing to work within the system to get Rose the funding she needed, he just needed a reason for it.

So Rose threw herself at him, so shamelessly. She'd had a moment or two when she felt guilty for using Aiden as a means to get back to the Doctor. It seemed foolish now. Thinking about their night together was painful, and flooded her with shame. But it was necessary for figuring out what happened. Could she dare accuse Aiden of foul play? The first condom they'd used was hers. The second was his. She'd trusted Aiden once. But who else had the wherewithal and a reason to have MI5 storm into Torchwood specifically to destroy the dimension cannon? How many government officials knew about it? Aiden's fundraising was clever in its execution, having made no mention of the dimension cannon specifically. So who else would know about it but him? And even then, who had a reason to see it destroyed, smashed into a billion pieces? It hadn't simply been dismantled. Somebody wanted to see it decimated.

It was possible, Rose thought, that her pregnancy really was an accident. She wanted to believe that. But she couldn't bring herself to put together any other ideas about what happened to the dimension cannon. The question was why wait? He needed her to believe he supported her decision if her theory was accurate. But he could have destroyed the dimension cannon just prior to testing. Was Aiden so vindictive that he needed her to feel hope before destroying it? Did he think she would have kept going otherwise?

Of course, it then occurred to Rose as her mum pleaded for answers that the baby was a good security measure for keeping Rose in this dimension. She couldn't even put that past Aiden. She wanted to believe that this was all a cruel turn of fate. But the pieces, ugly as they were, fit together perfectly. Too perfectly. When Rose first met him she wracked her brain trying to work out how Britain could elect this man Vice President. He was a wanker, a wolf in sheep's clothing at best. But he had a charm about him, a warmth that pulled people in. Martha scarcely knew him and she was drawn to him, which was saying something because she despised the man. Now it was time for Rose to see how long she could hide away from him and the world. Sooner or later he'd find out about her condition, and that'd be the end of it. For the moment she was content with hiding away while she and her condition worked out what they wanted to do with their lives.

She started with keeping him alive. Her mum was right. Going back in to Torchwood to see Martha about the baby made him real. She even learned she was pregnant with a little boy. It was easy to neglect herself and waste away over a few weeks when she could scarcely wrap her mind around the idea that she was growing her own human. Seeing him properly, making him a _him_ , it changed everything. Rose never faulted him for his existence. He was an innocent in all this, not much different from all the lives she'd endeavored to save while traveling with the Doctor. Only this life was distinctly hers, one reason she thought she could convince the Doctor to love and accept him. In the few short minutes it was still possible in her mind, Rose had come up with an entire speech about the little mistake hidden beneath her belly. Of course now it all seemed incredibly foolish. At first she'd thought of the growing baby as the result of one little mistake, one night of comfort. When he had her running to the loo or regretting her eating habits she resented him a little. At the end of the day Rose admitted to herself that this is what she'd dreamt about once in a blue moon, just not with the man she ended up with, and certainly not on this side of the universe. At least she wasn't alone. She had her mum, Pete, and Mickey.

"He's a determined little guy," Martha noted with a soft smile, watching the ultrasound. "Growing like a little beanstalk despite how poorly you've been eating, Jackie tells me."

Rose looked away and made a knot of her hair around her finger. "I'll eat better," Rose assured her. "He'll be all right, yeah?"

They finished up the ultrasound. "Should be." Rose's mum cleared her throat, and Martha elaborated. "He looks fine. I want to run a few tests anyway, just to be certain the virus has left your system entirely. But he looks healthy. We'll keep a close watch on him. Just keeping taking your vitamins and pick up on your eating."

Jackie patted Rose's hand and smiled at both of them. "See Rose? He'll be right as rain. He's a Tyler through and through. A little boy! For Tony to play with, eh Rose?" she rattled off. Normally this was when Rose tuned her out. They walked down the halls together, and Rose allowed herself a little smile. Her mum was being supportive, and tentative with her excitement. But she couldn't blame her for not wanting to contain it after seeing firsthand the little life that Rose was growing without the shadow of the dimension cannon obscuring it. "Reckon Tony'll be the littlest uncle you've ever seen. We'll have to start looking up names, won't we? Find you a bigger flat? You'll want a bigger place for him to run around in. More than what you had. No grandson of mine is living in a little two bedroom flat, I'll say."

Christmas came around Rose's 22nd week of pregnancy. And though she'd been basically hidden from the public eye since they began testing the dimension cannon, six months now, the annual Tyler Christmas ball was not an event Rose could skip. Her presence was mandatory, no matter how pregnant she was. She'd been getting away with ghosting about the Tyler mansion in her old jim jams that were previously too big on her. If anything the ball taught her that she needed a change of wardrobe for the last few months, including a bra two cup sizes bigger.

"Honestly he'll be the size of an elephant by the time he's born, this one. You look eight months gone rather than six. Healthy boy, we can say that for sure," her mum commented as they stood in front of the floor mirror.

Rose turned around in her mum's arms and buried her head in her shoulder. "I don't want to do this, mum."

"Well, you can't hide him away forever, you know. _You_ can't hide away forever. Might as well make a show of it, like we always do, eh Rose?"

Rose grimaced at her mum's choice of words. She'd gone out and bought her a wine colored halter dress. Never let it be said that her mum didn't have good taste. It made her girls look nice, less like a pair of melons, she could say that much. But it wasn't enough to detract from Rose's baby bump. If anything, the dress brought that out too. But she looked graceful at least. Proper. It wasn't the gown the reporters would be expecting, not with her little bump. So far she'd managed to stay out of the media, by some miracle. They'd go nuts this evening. Her Christmas gift to the masses, she thought with a grimace. At least she had Martha to cling to. Normally Rose could hold her own. But she didn't want to be alone this time. Martha was more than okay with the pressure. She didn't care one bit about the flashing cameras as they made their way inside the Tyler mansion proper across the garden.

She spotted him almost instantly. He stood out in a crowd, always. Damn him, looking dapper in a faded blue suit, tailored perfectly to fit his slim frame as always. He was crouched down to the floor helping the babysitter talk Tony out of a tantrum as she attempted to get him out of the ballroom and to bed. Rose considered bolting back out the door. She didn't have to explain herself to reporters. But not a moment after the babysitter whisked Tony out of the room he stood back up and turned around, brushing himself off. She would never forget the look on his face when he laid eyes on her. A server came up behind him and caught his wine glass just as he was about to drop it. Rose didn't have a choice now. He eyed the door, and they exited separately. Rose squeezed Martha's arm and motioned to him before disappearing down the hall.

They met up in a guest room far removed from the festivities. Aiden closed the door behind Rose, and her heart started running a marathon in her chest. As Aiden's eyes fell on her for the second time, Rose's hand flew to her womb, shielding it from him. But it was far too late. He'd seen it. She couldn't get a good read on Aiden, but he looked almost ravenous. Rose looked away in shame. The evidence of their little tryst was impossible to hide now, and getting bigger by the day. His intense gaze was almost enough to have Rose forget about Torchwood. Almost. She made tight fists of her hands and bit her lip. But he spoke first.

"Is that my child?" he pointed at her belly and asked in a shallow breath. Right out in the open. For once she liked his penchant for being direct. Rose looked away. He had to know already. "That's _my_ child, isn't it? You haven't been with anyone else, I know that for bloody well sure. God, Rose. You're huge. Are there twins?"

Rose stroked her womb beneath the chiffon of her dress. "You helped make him. But he's not yours," Rose asserted with the best scowl she could muster, and took a few steps back. “Time passes quicker in other dimensions. I'm further along than you think.”

"Him?" Aiden's eyes backed down from a bulge to a sort of gaze she hated seeing again. A gentle, pleading gaze. "It's a boy? So that's my son you've been hiding from me?"

"I'll do as I please, thank you! You did, and look where it got me!" Rose dredged up some bravery and stomped over to him and prodded Aiden right in the chest. He took a step back.

"You weren't planning on telling me, were you? Were you counting on me not showing up tonight? I was here last year, remember? You spent the evening scowling at me like you are now."

Rose narrowed her eyes at him. Her hands shook, feeling her blood seething beneath her skin. "Oh I'm way past scowling. I could... I could... I could ki-" She jabbed him again, but bit back the word. It was too vulgar, even for how she felt. All the same, he got the gist.

"Ruby and Noah are out there, you know. You going to explain to them," he nodded at her belly, "and him, when you make them fatherless? Hm? Then again, that was never the idea, was it? You go gallivanting across the universe with my child, meet up with your Doctor fellow, and what then? Does he love you so much that he'll happily raise another man's child? Another man's _son_ no less!" He wasn't shouting as she was, but the growl in his voice had her swallowing her heart in her gullet. "Was I ever going to know? You're just going to rob me of the chance of ever meeting him? How much longer until you find the Doctor, Rose? Will you give birth before you do? Hmm?"

Rose took a few steps back again, a horrific sort of waltz the likes of which she couldn't even imagine in her nightmares. "You having me on? Is this some sick joke to you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Rose met his growl. "Likely!"

But she studied him carefully. Aiden looked properly confused, gutted. Either he was a better actor than she ever imagined, or this all came to him by surprise.

"Rose, what's going on? What're you not telling me, other than this whole affair?" He gestured at her belly, and she clutched it tighter.

"You tell me!" Rose asserted. Two could play at this game.

Aiden growled louder and strode up to her, grabbing her hands. Rose yipped, but he stole every breath after it with his fiery gaze and quiet, seething voice. "Rose, tell me what the fuck is going on, now. I'm not playing."

This time she believed him. But it didn't stop her heart from practically palpitating. "The dimension cannon was shut down. I can't get back to the Doctor. He's... he's..."

Rose damned her lip for trembling. She fought back the tears. Crying in front of Aiden was _not_ an option. She'd spent the past couple of months nurturing both her growing son and her hatred of his father. His eyes softened instantly, and his talon grip on her wrists loosened.

"He's gone," Aiden finished for her in a flat tone.

"They came and destroyed it. And I thought that it was you."

She could tell her words stung, that he wanted to fight her on this. But he looked down and took a deep breath. He was still coming to terms with the idea that she was pregnant. Rose felt her world turning on its head. He'd demanded to know what was going on. But now she was beginning to wonder the same thing herself.

"You think that low of me?" His lip jutted out, pouting as it trembled right along with hers. "You think this is where I want to be right now? Do you have any idea what you've left me with? All I wanted to do was get over you. But I can't! I thought all this time you were gone. Everyone did! Try explaining to my little girl that the reason she couldn't go to her precious Christmas ball in her brand new dress that she picked out herself is because her daddy has a broken heart and coming around here is painful. Try explaining that to her! I couldn't! So here I am, for her, thinking I'm going to have a night of painful reminders you're gone. And you show up..." he looked down at her belly again, full on blubbering now. "Like this! How?"

Rose hiccuped and gulped. "I dunno. I thought... I thought..." She furrowed her brow at him. She couldn't speak the words, but the feeling, the thick tension wafted between them.

He narrowed his eyes briefly. "Oh don't you fucking tell me. You really think I could be capable of this? You think I'd risk it? You may think I'm some monster, Rose. Maybe I am. This country's a lot better off because of me. I'm still coming to terms with how it got there. But when I step out of the office it's just _me_! The man in front of the fireplace. That's me. The man that you made love to."

Rose shook her head and backed up further, until she fell onto the bed. It was little deterrent for Aiden. He followed her, and towered over her, boring his passionate gaze into her just as he did sixth months ago. She opened her mouth, but her disagreement with his words came silently.

"Yes," he hissed. "Oh, you _hate_ those words, don't you? Not because you're ashamed. No, you hate them because you know it's true. Can you build another dimension cannon?"

"All the necessary parts were destroyed."

A sickening grin began to bleed into his frown. "Then where's the harm in admitting it?"

Rose stood up and sucked in a deep breath as she raised her hand. Aiden caught it. "Ruby and Noah are out there. I'm _not_ explaining to them why their dad has a hand-shaped welt on his face."

Rose could almost feel her feet crumbling from beneath her. The last thing she wanted to do was break down in front of Aiden after spending months likening him to daleks and cybermen. But that was exactly what she did. She burst into tears and fell in his arms. He eased her back down onto the bed and brought her in by her shoulder, tucking her head into his. He rocked her side to side and whipped a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe her face with. Rose shut her eyes and closed herself off to everything but his comforts, even how much she wanted to chastise herself for accepting them.

"Do you believe me?" he whispered after a while, when she'd been reduced to a hyperventilating husk.

Rose nodded. "I still hate you."

He pressed a kiss to her hair and spoke into it. "Hm, and I still love you. Not exactly even, but we're making progress. At least I've been upgraded from villain status." He paused. "Right?"

She wanted to argue, even as her body was doing everything it could do inch its way into his lap. His pleading tone, and hand hovering over belly dissolved that resolve. "Yeah," she croaked.

He took a deep breath, and Rose felt him steeling himself. "May I greet my son, then?"

Rose looked around the room and blushed. The olive green walls looked like they were watching her, judging her. Maybe there was a camera hidden in one somewhere. All Rose could hear or feel was the throbbing in her chest. Well, that and _his_ kicking. Kick kick kick, as if he was ready to meet Aiden properly. No amount of attempted deep breathing could prepare her for this. She wanted to think it should have been the Doctor doing this. Fresh tears sliced through her burning cheeks just at the thought. What she had was Aiden. Not settling. It was just a fact. He was there. Emotions were whirling in her mind like a maelstrom.

One thing at a time, she told herself. It didn't mean anything. She was still alone. Her and the baby, as she'd come to accept it. She didn't have to agree to anything, she told herself as she sat back. Aiden curled up beside her and hiked up her skirt. Rose sucked in a sharp breath as his hands slid up her thighs. He wanted to do this properly, Rose realized with a hiccup. He handed the bunched up hem to her, uncertain what to do with it. Rose pulled it back as Aiden's head fell to her womb. His hand slid up to her hip. And Rose had to remind herself to not feel embarrassed at her choice of knickers. Just a plain pair of white ones, what she _could_ wear now that her hips were widening and her stomach was swelling. Rose sniffed in another sharp breath when Aiden's warm lips met her stomach. He looked up at her with soft eyes as he caressed her womb. Rose brushed back his dusty blonde locks and carded her fingers through them before closing her eyes. He brushed another kiss across the other side of her swell before resting his head there.

"It's okay son. Your daddy's here. I'm here," he murmured into her womb. He kissed it before continuing. "Mummy's not going to do this without me, I promise. I won't let her, okay?"

She felt him swallowing hard as his hand brushed gentle circles on her belly. She fell back onto the mattress and he followed, curling up to her. Without argument, without pleading, without any trickery or convincing on Rose's part Aiden not only accepted his son but claimed him for his own. It was all dizzying. In a matter of minutes Rose's entire world did a flip. Where she was lost, Aiden seemed quite certain he knew up from down. What took her weeks to accept took him a matter of minutes.

"Nothing in the universe can keep you and me apart, okay son? I promise," Aiden whispered with a kiss. He'd never sounded more determined.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiden Hoynes helps Rose secure the funding she needs for the dimension cannon. Despite her determination to get back to the Doctor, Rose finds herself falling for the Vice President. It's not enough to keep her from continuing her work, until her project is shut down and Rose learns she's pregnant. The man she would have turned to in her grief might be the same one who betrayed her trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's more angst in this chapter.

 

“No point in getting up, sweetheart. No job to go to.”

Rose shot up with a start, heart speeding up to a gallop. She scanned the room, still deep in a dream-induced haze half expecting to see pink walls rather than white. She half expected to _actually_ shoot up rather than a poor attempt with a waddle and groan. Her mum was drawing back the curtains to let in the piercing winter morning light. She turned her head and jabbed a button or two on her mobile to shut it up. “What?” She croaked.

“I said you best get up, we've got a job to do.” Her mum offered her a gentle smile. “You forgot, didn't you?”

Rose rubbed some of the sleep off her eyes and arched her back, growling at her growing child's pressure on it as she fought the urge to collapse right back onto the bed. It wasn't _her_ bed back in her flat several blocks away, which was much easier on her bones that Torchwood work put through the wringer. But it was closer to home, which as of late had become much more important. Rose wasn't ready to do all this alone just yet. Bless her mum for understanding.

“No, no, I remember. What are we doing again?”

“Flats. For you and your son.” Rose turned her nose up as she slid off the bed. “Oh now come on sweetheart. Got to start thinking about that soon, you know. He _is_ yours.” Her mum brought over an outfit, dropped it on the bed, and wrapped an arm around her waist. Rose leaned on her for a moment and sighed. “And he's going to want a mummy to love him, not just take care of him. He already loves you, and he can't help how he came into the world any more than you can.”

Rose surveyed her mum's outfit choice, an oversized powder blue jumper on top of a white oxford and maternity jeans. Altogether very Jackie. Her mum nattered on about it being cold out, but that it was an excuse to wear the dark navy pea coat she'd bought her. She'd taken to buying Rose maternity clothes when she realized she wouldn't go out to acquire them herself. Rose had fully planned on being rebellious in her maternity wardrobe choices, or at least to wear a cute pair of heels. That was a notion she wouldn't even consider a couple years ago. But her aching feet didn't allow it. She didn't last more than a half hour at Christmas before taking them off to walk about the ballroom barefoot.

“Mum, can we not do this?” Rose snapped while shuffling into the ensuite to get dressed.

She reappeared out in the hallway a few minutes later feeling more than a little petulant. She couldn't really use the events at Christmas as an excuse. Her mum had been circling this conversation for months, sneaking it in at opportune moments. Rose could never erase the image of Aiden speaking to her womb from her mind. He accepted his role as the child's father more readily than he ought to after their heated discussion. One minute she was finally confronting the man who betrayed her, the next she felt him kiss her stomach. His life changed in a matter of minutes for him. Aiden embraced it without thought. When the same happened to Rose, she fell into a depression. One minute she was determined to protect the little one from his father, and the next she had no inkling about what to do with herself. Her life had a nasty habit of flipping itself on its head at the drop of a hat. Her ability to simply accept it was severely diminished without her Doctor.

Aiden adjusted so well it could have been a sport. It had been five days since Christmas, and for four Rose had kept all the photos of herself with his family on her nightstand. Nobody but him would see past her carefully crafted public mask. But the difference was Aiden was actually happy. His smile was just as fake as hers. But his hand clasping her womb, claiming it for his own and refusing to let it go, that was a sort of happiness that was difficult to truly convey in a photo. And then a wave of clicks and flashes flooded them as he kissed her forehead while approaching his car and helping the children inside. He'd promised to come round and talk properly, whispering it in her ear before disappearing down the road.

So she shouldn't have been surprised to find him waiting in the garden in front of her guest house. Her mum stood leaning against the house with a gentle smile on her face, and nudged Rose with her shoulder. Out in the garden, chasing after a toddling Tony was Aiden. Her two year old brother was squealing with glee, thoroughly convinced his waddling on two stubby legs could help him outrun the gangly blonde in a coat. Aiden let Tony get behind a tree and paused while the little one hugged it, cackling madly at his cleverness.

Rose leaned up against her door and let her hands trickle down to her womb, willing its inhabitant to ease up on the kicking. Could he feel her heart racing? Did he sense somehow that his father was nearby? “Who let _him_ in?”

“Reckon it was your dad.” Her mum nodded at the open front door all the way across the garden. “Pete never stopped trusting him, you know.”

“Mum.”

Her mum chuffed and sighed before curling her lips and brow up into that motherly smirk. She didn't need to say anything. If she didn't trust Aiden he wouldn't get within a mile of Tony. Her trust came on an invisible thread between herself and Pete, who nodded and smiled at them both. It was all her mum needed to let herself relax, to watch with a soft smile as Aiden jumped around the tree and made Tony fall over in a fit of giggles. That was when he saw Rose, just as he was reaching down to pick up her wiggling brother off the ground. He peered up, and for a moment Rose caught a glimpse of a painfully familiar Tigger-like grin. But it sobered back into his own reserved, predatory smirk when their eyes met properly.

“Come on Tony. Let's go finish up breakfast,” Pete chimed in as Aiden began to stride across the garden.

Her mum pushed herself off her perch on the wall and met Pete halfway to accompany Tony. But their attempt at heading off a tantrum failed once they each took a hand and led him toward the house. Tony's head fell back and he wailed, begging for help from his new friend Aiden.

“I'll see you later, Uncle Tony. Be good,” Aiden soothed in a shout across the lawn. He shook his head and pressed a finger to his lips when Tony whimpered and cried. Tony grumbled but complied. The whole production was just enough of a distraction that Rose practically jumped when Aiden laid his hands on her stomach. At least this time she had clothes. “How's my boy today?”

Rose furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to release a stammer or two before replying, “Kicking up a storm. Look, Aiden. I don't know why you're here. But you can turn right back around and get to your next meeting, or whatever it is you do. If you wanted to see him you should've called or texted first.”

Rose grimaced at her sour tone until she stiffened under his caresses. If he could only speak through his hands, drawing soothing circles up and down her jumper, his feelings would still be abundantly clear. He subdued her with his hardened eyes. Rose let her hand fall off her doorknob, gently quelling the thought of running from him. She wouldn't get far anyway. She would never get far, not as long as... she swallowed a rock in her gullet... _their_ child was alive. The realization sank in her stomach, forming a pit that threatened to pull her to the ground. Was that why he was here?

“So you can 'give me permission?'” He formed quotes with his fingers and curled them at Rose, his voice growling with a growing anger. “No. He's _our_ son, Rose.” She shook her head and his voice rose back up to a soft rumble. “Yes,” he hissed.

Aiden brushed his thumb across her quivering, pouting lip. She felt him drinking in her trembling breath, basking in it with his knowing, predatory smile dimpling his cheeks. Her eyes fell heavy as he leaned in, his dry lips so close when he licked the chap off them her heart began racing. Kissing the arrogant git had been the source of nightmares lately, but now that he was so close, Rose was fighting the urge to want to taste him. She blamed the cocktail of hormones shooting through her veins when a warm shiver pooled low in her abdomen as she took in the scent of his new cologne. It was softer, just a bit sweeter than the crisp and heavy wooded fragrance he used to bathe in. He had warmth kissing her cheeks after the winter chill nipped them. She took a deep breath and shook herself out of it.

“I know it's not for his sake that you won't see me. You trust me, you just won't admit it. You think you've been dealt a bad hand, saddled with a piss poor replacement of the man you truly love. Well, I'm not here to convince you, Rose. I'm not. I can wait for your mind to change. But I'm not going to lose time with my son for it. I refuse,” Aiden fired at her, puffing hot breaths onto her face.

“You can't just - ”

He pulled his head away, truly whipping her out of the dreamy state he'd brought her into, leaving her feeling exposed. But his hand was still planted firmly on her belly, fingers bunching up her jumper. His face was twisted for once. He was torn. There wasn't much between him and his son, but it was just enough.

“I can. But that's not what I came over here for.” Aiden straightened up and sniffed in a deep breath. It shook on the way out as he finally plucked his hand off her womb. “Rose, I came to apologize.” She couldn't recall ever seeing this man look truly nervous. He was a wreck. His hair wasn't perfectly coiffed, his shirt was wrinkled, and he hadn't even bothered to throw on a tie. “For the dimension cannon. I didn't send MI5 to Torchwood.” He fished a manilla packet out of his pocket and handed it to her. “But I know who did. Rose, it was Freya.”

“The president?”

“Yes. She sent them to destroy the dimension cannon while you were in the middle of a jump to keep you wherever you were. She had a spy in your midst gathering information for her. I've already spoken to Pete about it. He's going to take care of it. That's everything I compiled on the matter, after speaking with Freya myself. But Rose, I need you to know that I'm sorry. If you and I - ”

Rose held her stomach, willing what was left of last night's soup and salad to stay where it was. She felt her head spinning. “What you're saying is... if we hadn't met, I would be... the Doctor...”

“Rose...”

She gathered some dignity by swallowing a deep breath. “No! That's not fair!”

“Please, Rose. I need you to know that I -”

“Get out!” She wrapped her arms around her womb as hot tears cut through the cold nipping her cheeks. “I don't want to see you. Ever!”

She watched him back away, but he lifted his hand, furrowing his brow. “Take care of yourself, and him. Please,” he pleaded calmly.

“Go away!”

Aiden grounded himself to a tree, clawing it as though it was the only thing keeping her tempestuous anger from blowing him away. It was the same tree he'd been playing with Tony at. “If you need me, any time. You know how to reach me. If you... if you... if you don't want him... he's still my son.”

Rose shook her head, feeling her heart sink in her chest. “Just leave!”

Her mum appeared at just the right time to offer a shoulder. Rose fell into it, letting the manilla packet Aiden gave her fall to the frosty grass below, releasing her grief into her mum's coat. She would never pick up that packet. Maybe it ended up being binned, who knew? All Rose knew was she didn't need the gruesome details Aiden provided to plead his case. For once she believed him. And it wasn't difficult to put together. It also meant that it didn't matter whether she'd slept with Aiden or not, if her hypothesis was correct. She made the president look bad, she had to disappear for good. If only Freya could have been patient. She'd have been out of her hair for good.

Her mum tucked her back into bed with a basket of chips that would end up going cold. Aiden's son was bigger now, though. And he would make demands if she didn't eat. His directive to take care of him must have gone straight to his son's developing ears. She could never go long without eating. Every morning as the sun peaked in through her drawn curtains she'd look in the mirror and remind herself that it wasn't the little one's fault she'd been dealt a bad hand. At the end of all this it still wasn't him she wanted to greet. She had fitful nights of sleep captured by vivid dreams of somehow finding the Doctor again.

Rose still vainly hoped that this was all a nightmare, that she would wake up the next morning with a flat stomach and an intact dimension cannon. She laid her head down to sleep every night with the silent prayer of making this all go away, and woke up every morning sorely disappointed until she became numb again. She considered bringing herself back to where she'd been at Christmas, loathing what she'd been stuck with but holding her head up high. But was it safe? What blow would she be dealt next? She was waiting for someone to remind her that her mental state wasn't good for the baby. She silently dared anyone to give her a reason to smack them. She'd have the best excuse, she was pregnant.

But nobody ever took her up on it. Everyone walked on eggshells around her, everyone except for Pete and Jake. They dragged her with as they looked for flats. Jake found a 4 bedroom bungalow in Chiswick right on the Thames. It was well out of Rose's price range, but she fell in love with it all the same. It was a huge plot of land that she had all to herself, peppered with thick, healthy trees. Chiswick in this world was even greener than the one on her side. It felt like a little oasis. When her mum convinced Pete to help her acquire the place for the sake of their grandchild, Rose felt her heart sink in her chest. How was she going to tell them she was planning on taking Aiden up on his offer? Could she then justify owning such a spacious home? Rose looked at it as a space that wouldn't smother her as much, one that would feel more like the home she'd gotten used to. Mickey and Jake helped her move. And by help, they more or less did all the work. By the time she was moving in she was already 35 weeks pregnant and the size of one the airships she'd come to admire watching float past every day.

Rose called Aiden when she was 38 weeks gone, during a time of day when she knew he'd be busy, and left him a voicemail telling him she was taking him up on his offer to take the baby. It felt like the most cowardly thing she'd ever done. The Doctor would be ashamed, she knew that much. She was running away from her problems. She couldn't bear to think of the child as a problem, which was exactly why he'd be better off with Aiden. Aiden saw him as a blessing, a chance to start over. It was the best gift she could give the little one. Aiden wanted to be with his son. He would get his wish. He called her back that same day, but she couldn't pick up. She let it go to voicemail, but he would leave none. Instead, he showed up at her house.

“So you're giving up then?” Aiden shouted through her front door in place of knocking.

Rose threw open the door. But when she saw his face, streaked with tears, she didn't have the heart to slap him as she'd planned. Instead, she moved aside for him to storm inside. “I'm not giving up! This me doing what's right.”

He snorted and parroted her words back to her. “Because he'd be happier with me? What sort of malarkey is that, Rose? Since when do you fudge the truth? It's not you. Doesn't suit you. Tell the whole truth next time. You won't bear the sight of him. Just say it.”

Rose looked away, eying the door. She couldn't answer him.

“Your parents had you young, didn't they? Oh yes, I was paying attention. Think you were part of their plans, then? You probably threw a big wrench into them, I'd wager. But did they give you up? No. And you know what, your mum didn't have a choice but to raise you on her own. Her partner was _forcibly_ removed. You're making the _choice_ to walk away!” He marched into her home proper, plopped himself in her chair, throwing one leg over the other, and nodded at her couch, as if to invite her to make herself at home in her own home. “What am I supposed to tell _our_ son when he asks where his mummy is? Do you want me to tell him that his own mummy couldn't bear the sight of him? While you're suffering from a broken heart you're condemning your own child to suffer the same fate!”

“Stop it!”

He continued. “And for the worst reason. What will you do then, bury yourself in your work? Have you told your family of your plans? How will you break it to your mother, after she likely spent countless hours furnishing your nursery, that she won't have a grandchild? Your sweet little brother, who now refuses to be called anything but _Uncle_ Tony?”

Aiden had wiped and sniffed away his tears, but they she replaced them with her own just as quickly. When he was making a point he cut deep. “Stop it!”

“No. You know, when I made that offer to take him I was baiting you. I was thinking it would insult you so much you'd find a renewed determination to raise him right, and I could slowly work my way back into your heart. But now? I'm fucking disappointed, Rose. The woman that I fell in love with would _never_ give up; not on anything nor anyone. So I was okay with you leaving me because you were gorgeously resolute in your determination to get back home. You're still ravishing, but it's not the same without that patented Rose Tyler stubbornness. Where is the woman who was ready to gut me at Christmas? Hm? What happened to her?”

Rose shifted on the couch and winced. Aiden's points hit home hard, but they couldn't have hit so hard to cause the pain shooting down her spine. She arched her back away from the couch and whimpered, holding it together in her hands.

“But I refuse to give up on you. Just give him a chance, Rose. He can help your heart heal. Just you wait. Give it a couple weeks, at least _meet_ him before you make a decision you'll regret.”

Rose felt blood leaving her face as her pain began to spread. She clawed her couch cushions and growled. “I don't think it'll take two weeks!”

In Rose's hormone-induced nightmares, Aiden was utterly useless. His perfectly constructed facade would crumble at the mere mention of labor. In truth, Aiden was himself, arguing over which hospital to take her to. He gave in when Rose explained that given her traveling history, she felt safer in a private facility, aka Torchwood. They then argued over whose car to take. Aiden took that round because he convinced her his was safer, and he actually knew how to drive it. A car seat was already fitted in the back, Rose realized as he helped her in. It was definitely used, likely for both of Aiden's children. The original cutesy bear pattern was faded behind years of his two kids' wear and tear compared to the brand new bright red and black designer seat her mum had bought that was still in the house. A babydoll was buckled in already. Rose pictured Ruby gleefully racing up to her bedroom when Aiden explained to her what the car seat was for. She'd have made him let her figure out the contraption herself, promising her dad she'd test it out to make certain it was safe for her baby brother.

Aiden remained eerily calm, keeping conversation to a minimum. At least her water hadn't broken just yet, he offered when they got stuck in traffic. He looked at the clock every time she moaned, marking her contractions in his head. The entire ride had her wondering what his hopes had been, and how quickly she'd crushed them. Rose glanced back at three books that had been in the passenger seat, quickly chucked back there, before he helped her in. One was a pregnancy book, again used. Another was a baby book, also used. And the third was brand new, a volume on how to raise a child that was thicker than an encyclopedia. By the time they pulled into Torchwood Rose came to the conclusion that the first two books were Freya's. The third was Aiden's, its receipt (which had flown into the foot well when he chucked the books back), was dated for the day before. Rose collected all this information in between contractions, in a fruitless attempt at distracting herself from the pain.

Her water broke as Martha met them outside with a wheelchair. Somewhere in the midst of all her growling and moaning Aiden had contacted her. Martha took the reigns and pushed her inside after thrusting her mobile at Aiden's chest with the instructions to call Pete. Aiden promised to join Rose as soon as he'd done so. Only then did she realize she was looking back at him, waiting for him to follow them inside. Rose smiled when she saw that Martha commandeered Mickey and Jake to put to work. Mickey ran past Rose with a forced grin on his face as Martha yelled at him to grab the diaper bag from the boot of Aiden's car. Jake had been tasked with wrangling Martha's medical staff, calling people in. Martha would refuse to work with Mickey and Jake, Rose thought with a smile. Rose wouldn't ever want to work with anyone else. But to deliver a baby? She shuddered at the thought.

Aiden kept his word and joined Rose in the room Martha had been setting up for her delivery, guided by Mickey. It was small, and the furthest removed from the dimension cannon site. Rose was thankful she had the walls painted a less intrusive sky blue. She had no problems working in the whitewashed rooms. If anything they had been a constant reminder of the day she died, to keep her working on the cannon. When she learned she was pregnant she felt like they could swallow her right up. In the time it took her mum and Pete to arrive Rose would have been mostly alone, with Martha completely absorbed in getting her situated. Aiden's presence served to provide actual human support, even if his offer of a hand to hold was rejected. As long as his son was still in her womb, they were on the same side. Afterward remained a mystery she didn't want to tackle.

For some reason Rose had always imagined her mum to be the rock, the calm one she could lean on for her labor. And for that to work she'd have to magically turn into a woman that she very much wasn't. She didn't last more than a couple minutes in the delivery room after running about questioning everything that Martha was doing. Rose saw Aiden tensing in his chair, and reached out for him to move closer to her as she rode the wave of another contraction. He took her hand and called her a stubborn git as Martha suggested Jackie pop into the kitchen to make tea. Rose loved her mum dearly. She wouldn't have survived the past several months without her. She'd helped her ride the worst of her grief. But she was a bit panicky during labor, including her own. Rose also loved Pete dearly, but his penchant for pacing would drive her mad inside of a few hours, bless him. Rose had been right there with her mum when Tony was born, holding her hand and enduring her shouting.

Who could be that person for Rose? It wasn't going to be Mickey or Jake, that was for bloody well sure. Rose was left with Aiden. He had the most vested interest, and of everyone there he remained the calmest through it all. He slowly worked his way from holding her hand (well, more accurately allowing her to claw the life out of his), to sitting at the edge of her bed, and finally to reclining behind her, supporting and massaging her back. He stuck with her for hours, praising her through whispers in her ear and shoulder rubs. He kept her from arguing with Martha and helped her follow her guidance. He rarely left her side, even when she wished he would for just a few minutes.

In the morning, long after the hours began to meld together in an endless cycle of contractions and encouragement from Aiden and Martha, Aiden's son was finally ready to greet the world. Torchwood had long since gone quiet. The buzz around the delivery room faded as Jackie's tea and invigorating energy wore off. One of the nurses informed Rose that the only ones awake still were Jake, Tony, and Noah. Even excitable Ruby had found a spot to curl up and sleep in. Rose's mum had gone to retrieve them from school, anticipating a much shorter labor than Aiden's son had in mind. She was a bit sore that she missed the sight of her mum, Mrs. Tyler herself, sauntering into their schools to retrieve the children. It must have been quite the spectacle.

“It's just us right now, Rose. Come on. You can do this. You're almost done. I know you're tired, but you've got this. I can see his head. Just give me a gentle push,” Martha coached.

Aiden's cool finally broke when this news came, and Rose was thankful for dependable Martha as he began viciously pacing the room. He'd done so much more than any one person ought to be able to, so Rose couldn't fault him for finally turning into a slight basket case when it came down to the wire. But Martha kept her focused, coaching her through the stretch, until the peace that had fallen on the whole floor was broken by a high-pitched howl.

The arrangements had been made only a couple days before Rose went into labor. Aiden would take the baby, it was simple. Martha confirmed this when they arrived in the delivery room in the middle of one of Rose's contractions, despite their argument back at her house. Rose was physically prepared for a child, with all the bells and whistles waiting at home. Aiden was emotionally, physically, wholly prepared to greet his son and raise him all on his own. He questioned her, and was clearly disappointed in her choice. But he never pushed her to change it. He didn't need to.

Rose's chest welled up, warmth and tears rising to her already slick and clammy face. She felt like a husk already, though she was far from done. She could sleep for a week. When Tony was born Rose distinctly remembered his screeching squall. But in the thick of it, she forgot it in favor of her mum's smile and Tony's little pink face. Now all Rose could hear was that howling, and caught sight of him wiggling as Martha tested him and wrapped him up for Aiden. Her ears were ringing with that howl, her son's cries. And though it meant only good things, maybe that he had a healthy pair of lungs, it was also the last sound she'd hear from him.

“Let me see him,” Rose cried. “Please?”

Martha and Aiden froze. She handed Aiden the baby and adjusted Rose's hospital gown. Rose was thankful for the less dignified points of labor for removing any remainingthreads of pride for that. Aiden approached the bed and leaned in, kissing his son's head before laying him on her bare chest. He peeled away the blanket and smiled when Rose sobbed on her son's feathery soft down. His howling softened into a cry as she brought her arms up to cradle his perfect little pink body to her chest. She'd shamefully spent months loathing this tiny, cooing creature's existence. She could get over that, reminding herself that it wasn't his fault, but still thought she was loving him more for letting him go. Once he calmed down he rested his head on her heart and began curling his little fingers on her breast. If his hair wasn't already slick from birth, she made it so with tears and kisses. They'd already survived so many months together. Now when Rose finally met the little one he was distinctly hers, and he wouldn't know any different until she made it so. That would involve parting from his earthy sweet scent, his tiny fingers, and the feeling of rightness that came with cradling him to her chest.

“Happy birthday, Joseph Peter Hoynes Tyler,” Rose bleated somewhere in the fog of warmth and peace that wafted back into the room.

Aiden sat up, and Rose blushed hot, only then realizing that he'd curled up next to her. She couldn't look away anymore when their eyes met, when his welled up with fresh tears. His mouth fell slack, and he croaked.

“Is it okay? Is that all right?” Finally her heart caught up to her, chasing his answer like an impala after her dinner. When it didn't come she kissed her son's head and basked in his warmth before rattling off her nerves. “I just thought, your dad, my dad... because... And it sounds a bit like Jean-Francois. And I know how much your dad and your grandad mean to you. And I thought, well, he's our son, so he should have our names, yeah?”

Aiden took in a sharp breath. What did she say? She'd be panicking if she wasn't so knackered from the whole affair. “Say that again,” he croaked.

“What? What part?”

Aiden's lip quivered. “Our son.”

“Our son,” she sighed a quivering breath. “Is that okay? I want to keep him, Aiden. We can work something out, yeah? For our Joey's sake?”

He pressed kisses to both their temples. “I'd love that. I'd love that very much.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, there's going to be one more part to this. You can blame/thank Aiden for that. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiden Hoynes helps Rose secure the funding she needs for the dimension cannon. Despite her determination to get back to the Doctor, Rose finds herself falling for the Vice President. It's not enough to keep her from continuing her work, until her project is shut down and Rose learns she's pregnant. The man she would have turned to in her grief might be the same one who betrayed her trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This last chapter is NSFW.

 

Ruby was the first to poke her head in the delivery room door, just before Martha had a chance to share the good news with everyone. She hung her head low, and her eyes immediately darted over to her father curled up in bed with Rose. Her jaw went slack and her face opened up, eyes popping. The nurse had told them Ruby was among those that were asleep. Rose barely knew the Hoynes children. Though Rose might have been the same way herself at that age. If Rose hadn’t been so exhausted her face would’ve turned pink. She was dressed by then, but did Ruby know about their relationship, how the baby was made? How much had Aiden told them? Asking him this hadn’t crossed Rose’s mind after the discussion about custody of the baby and accepting him as the father of her child. Again, Rose was thankful for her fatigue. Worrying about what her relationship with Aiden’s children would be was a thought for a rested mind (if she could even get a hold of one of those from now on). And if she was really lucky, Ruby’s face could be surprise at the sight of a newborn. It wasn’t something she’d see every day, especially being the youngest in her family. Until now.

“Has our baby brother been born yet? It got quiet so I got up. Is that him?” Ruby mumbled, practically bouncing in the doorway. She stepped in when the three adults were strapped for an answer, dragging her brother at the end of her arm in with her.

Aiden sat up and slid off the bed, straightening out his clothes as he strode across the room. Martha peeled back her lips in a smile. “Ruby - Noah, you two were supposed to stay out there and wait.”

“But I want to meet him. You promised we could when he was born, daddy.” She fixed her lips into a frown and shifted her hips before folding her arms.

Aiden stroked her nose and put up a soft smile and a sigh. “He’s sleeping.” When the pout grew into a whine he scooped up his daughter and sat her on his hip. “All right, all right. Quietly then, hm?”

Rose shifted to sit up, but Aiden shook his head, so she relaxed her shoulders and pulled Joey up to her chest so the children could see. He cooed a little grumble in his slumber, and Rose watched Ruby’s pout shift to a gleeful grin. Noah appeared to study him, his thoughts hidden beneath weary eyes. A slight curl to his mouth was her only indication that he at least wasn’t displeased. Ruby didn’t speak a word, instead hugging her father tight and nuzzling his shirt while admiring all of Rose’s hard work. She straightened up in his arms and her smile softened to let some pride peak through. She was her father’s daughter, there was no doubt about that. That was _her_ brother in Rose’s arms, her raised chin said. In the span of a couple quiet minutes, nose twitches and head tilts trickled in, until the girl’s face scrunched up at her father.

“His name is Joseph Peter,” Aiden offered in a gravelly, low voice. “Or Joey for short.”

“Are we taking him home to mummy now that he’s born?”

“Ruby!” Aiden rasped. Noah flinched.

Rose hugged Joey closer to her chest. She drank in his sweetness, his tiny breaths, and pressed her lips to his pink cheek. “Aiden?”

He looked to Rose first, after letting Ruby slip to her feet on the floor. “I told them, Rose. I did. Right, Ruby? We talked about this, remember?” He leaned in to kiss his newborn son’s forehead before crouching down to his daughter’s level. “Do you remember our talk about the baby?”

“You said we were sharing him. But - ” He pressed a finger to her lips, but she shook her head and pouted. “Mummy’s a part of our family too.”

Rose shook her head. She felt her chest tighten, her stomach lurch, and her head spin. In a short time, a matter of hours, her entire life had changed. She’d given birth to the tiny bundle in her arms. What was obvious to most had only just slipped into the fog of hormones, fatigue, and pure newborn joy. He was hers, his tiny pink lips pressed together, his wispy caramel newborn down, his precious little fingers coiling around hers, and tiny little blue eyes greeting what he knew to be his world: Rose. For the past nine months Rose was all Joey knew. Looking at his face now, shame crept up on her for even considering letting him go. She had so much love to give, and this little life with a heart born from her own deserved it all. He came terrifyingly close to not being born at all. If Rose had stayed in that other dimension for another few minutes she would have been stuck there, and the virus would have taken both of them. Rose didn’t have to dip into Ruby’s fathomless eyes to find the good that her mother must have bestowed on her at some point. Freya Gardner wasn’t an evil witch. But the thought of… Rose would endure the pains of childbirth a dozen times over if it meant keeping her far away from Joseph Peter.

“Aiden, she can’t. I’m keeping him. He’s _my_ son. _Our_ son. I don’t…” she blubbered, and sucked down a trembling breath. President or not, Rose had looked worse monsters in the eye. “She’s not coming anywhere near him. Not my baby.”

Rose gathered he was thinking of her when his face hardened, his eyes glared into the distance. Whether he felt protective of her remained to be seen. But just then Rose detected a surge of love for his son. He felt just as Rose did, that they very nearly hadn’t gotten to meet him.

“It’s okay, Rose. I won’t let her.”

“But Dad- ”

He growled a sigh. “I think we need to discuss this as a family.”

Did that include Rose? The silence falling over the room gripped her, and she almost felt it tightening around her like a vice. Joseph was a reminder to stay calm, his sleepy little puffs of breaths eased her into her own deep ones. She still had to be calm for him, even if a sense of being out of place crept up her spine at Aiden’s words about family. He already had one. Rose had thought this was great when she was convinced he’d wrecked the dimension cannon. He would be too busy with work, Ruby, and Noah to bother Rose and her child. Despite knowing Aiden never gave up on anything she still vainly hoped he’d truly be too busy to worry about his lovechild with Rose. Now as Aiden clapped his hands over his children’s shoulders Rose wondered when he’d be able to make time for her and... For little Joey.

Aiden herded the children into a pair of chairs against the wall, and crouched down in front of them. Ruby bunched up her shoulders and pursed her lips. Noah had an awkwardly shaped gift in his lap, wrapped in wrinkled blue paper and covered in bits of tape. He must have done the job himself, bless. His brows were fixed into a deep furrow, keeping his thoughts ferreted away behind an cloudy expression. Ruby took his hand and smiled, pointing at Joey in Rose’s arms. He craned his neck around his father, and his face opened up when he saw his brother sleeping in his blanket.

Aiden cleared his throat and reclaimed their attention. “Remember our chat a few days ago, about our family?” They both nodded. “We talked about your mum still needing time to herself.”

“Because she made a mistake. Like when you made a mistake?” Ruby prompted.

Aiden’s face twisted and he raised his hands. But he forced a deep breath and continued. “Yes. Only, we’re staying together this time. The two of you, me, and Joey. And Rose, because Rose is Joey’s mummy.” Aiden turned back to look at Rose, his eyes wading through the tension to search for answers in hers. He’d have to keep looking, she didn’t have any. Not yet.

Noah frowned. “Is she going to live with us?”

He chased her gaze when she looked away. Rose swallowed hard and chewed back a frown of her own. “Not if she doesn’t want to,” Aiden sighed. It wasn’t the answer he wanted to give. For once Aiden Hoynes would pick his battles. “But we’re going to spend time with her, because she’s a part of our family now.” He paused, and a little smile peaked through. He was right about that much. When Joseph Peter was born the strings of fate weaved Rose and Aiden together. She would always be tied to him from then on. But then, “And so is, so is your… mother. Like I promised. We’ll get to that later. You remember what we talked about, about different families? Some families have more than two parents, or only one. Some have grandparents, or two dads, two mums. You get the idea. You’ve got one mum and one dad.”

“You said our brother would have one dad,” Ruby chirped. Rose was beginning to gather who she took after.

“I _also_ said that might change. And it has.”

“But Mummy’s a part of our family, and so’s Joey,” she appealed.

“This isn’t a conversation I want to have on your brother’s birthday.”

Aiden’s jaw clenched and his cheeks dimpled, tension smothering everyone in the room except for sleeping Joey, whose entry into the world seemed to thoroughly tucker him out. Ruby and Noah squirmed in their seats and looked away. Rose wagered this wasn’t a new topic, that their baby brother peeled off that bandage, if it even existed yet. Did Aiden shield his children from the atrocities their mother committed? If it was Joey, Rose would want to, for his sanity and the sake of his relationship with his siblings. He wasn’t more than an hour old and Rose was already making decisions as a parent.

Rose took a deep breath and spoke up. Somebody had to bring a bit of peace back to the room. Noah was too shy, and the other two firebrands certainly weren’t going to. “Ruby, would you like to hold him?”

Ruby burst out her chair, ignoring her father completely, and bounced up to the bed. Rose patted the bed and told her to hop up. Aiden picked her up and sat her on the bed next to Rose. He welcomed the distraction with sunken shoulders and a sigh. The almighty politician was brought down by a little girl. Just as it should be. Ruby tucked in her knees, so taken in by her newborn sibling that she curled up next to Rose without noticing. She waved at Noah to come over, but he shook his head, frowning still. Aiden pulled him out of the chair, oblong gift in hand, and brought him with as they sidled up to the bed on the opposite side of Ruby. Rose coached her in making a safe cradle of her arms, and eased Joey in them as Aiden reminded her to support his head. To their surprise, despite her exuberance he stayed asleep. She beamed at him. Ruby’s face could’ve lit the darkest room, her smile filled with warmth and adoration for the newest member of their family.

“No more fights,” Noah finally asserted a couple peaceful minutes later, shrugging his shoulders away from his father to inch closer to the bed. “He won’t like them either.”

Rose considered reaching out to Noah to hold his hand, but the moment wasn’t right for it. Instead she gave him a warm smile and hoped he’d understand. “What’s that you got there, Noah?”

“It’s for him,” Noah plopped it on the bed.

“But only if you keep your promise this time!” Ruby blurted out, and Aiden chided her, hushing her as Joey stirred. Rose slowly pulled him back into her arms as he wriggled in his swaddle. “We’re staying together this time. No more splitting up. So Rose if you have to be with our brother then you’re just going to have to come home with us. There’s no other way.” She folded her arms and nodded at her own brilliance. Ruby reached over Rose and hugged the oddly shaped gift to her chest. “And you don’t get to open this until you agree.” She was definitely her father’s child, no doubt about that.

“Ruby!” Aiden hissed.

“Look how happy he is, daddy. It’s because we’re all here. I love him, I want him to be happy. Right Noah?”

Aiden and Rose looked down at the boy, so distracted by his sister that they scarcely noticed him stroking Joey’s cheek. If Rose thought that Ruby’s smile was warm and bright, Noah’s was gentle and peaceful, a pure blanket of snow on a winter morning. He canted his head to the side, still perplexed by his tiny brother in her arms. But there was no mistaking the fondness, the desire to get to know his new sibling. He was barely present in the conversation, lost in Joey’s eyes as they eased open. His only indication was a dull nod in agreement.

“If I agree, can we open this?” She nodded at the gift now in Ruby’s possession.

“Rose, you don’t have to - ”

“I think we all know what it’s like being torn away from our loved ones, don’t we?” This sentiment silenced Aiden’s argument and saw his face peeling back into a wrinkle. His hand crept up to her shoulder and squeezed.

They waited until the children were out of the room to discuss what Rose had just agreed to. Noah picked out a mobile for Joey’s crib. Though Aiden was markedly embarrassed by him picking out airplanes, Rose found it charming. He’d explained Noah’s fascination with them (though that wasn’t the word he’d used) in a phone conversation what felt like ages ago. It all came flooding back as Noah came to life marveling at the realistic depiction of model airplanes on the mobile while Aiden squeezed his shoulder and groaned. Rose thanked him for it, putting on a wide grin both for Noah’s sake and in spite of his father’s embarrassment.

“You don’t have to do this,” Aiden spoke towards the door as it shut behind Ruby and Noah. “They’re just excited, and they miss Freya is all. A lot’s going on for them.”

“Don’t belittle their feelings, Aiden Hoynes. Not after all your lecturing about being a parent. You’re incredibly busy as it is, and they know it. What’re you going to do at the end of the day, choose between seeing the pair of them and your son? You should give them more credit. I think they know it.” Aiden sat down on the bed while she spoke, scooting up to her. “You raised two clever kids. If they can’t have their mum they want the next best thing: everyone that they do have under one roof.”

“May I hold him?” he whispered.

When he leaned in she breathed him in. His cologne had been replaced with pure Aiden. Some manner of trickery or hormones had her thinking he smelled of fire. Of a hearth. Home. He embodied that fire, dark on the outside, but smoldering on the inside. Together Aiden and Joseph were intoxicating, their pink cheeks, blonde tresses, and earthy sweetness making her heart swell. It was entirely too right, that this life could replace the one she still yearned for. The sight of this man she’d thought she scarcely knew, clutching his infant son to his chest as though he was the only lifeblood he needed, swallowing hard and choking back tears got her heart racing. It was terrifying.

“You really would do this? A few hours ago you were ready to give him up altogether. Now you’ll have the four of us?” he spoke against Joseph’s temple in between kisses.

“Just as long as there’s no Freya. You have to promise me. I know she’s their mum, but she can’t come anywhere near Joey.”

Rose held her breath. But the stony gaze she was met with when she looked up assured her that whatever followed was serious. He meant every word. “I promise. She won’t come within miles of him or you, I promise. I’ll make certain of it. Ruby and Noah haven’t seen her in two months, because every time I thought about bringing them to her for a visit I thought about him,” he pressed his nose to Joey’s crown and puffed a breath, “and I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. I can’t keep them from her forever. She’s their mother. But _I_ _’m_ not ready yet. _You_ won’t have to worry, I swear it. You and Joey won’t see her again. Not ever.”

That intense look reminded Rose of a wolf protecting his pack, quietly snarling and seething. But the moment he brought his gaze back to his son his face melted. Rose fully realized the burden Freya put on her shoulders when they sank back to the bed. Peace and silence fell over the room for a few minutes. Aiden let Martha run tests as they relaxed and Rose let the idea of Aiden’s promise truly sink in. No Freya. Rose had mixed feelings about everything. It all needed to be sorted out. But one desire remained abundantly clear, Rose never wanted to come within a mile of Freya Gardner. When Aiden assured her of their son’s distance from her Rose couldn’t recall ever being so at ease. Not in a long time.

“You can move into mine. I’ve got more space,” Rose bleated. “Joseph can… you said it yourself…” The pair of them, the sight of them, Aiden peeling away at his swaddle to stroke his son’s chest, was incredibly distracting. “Help me start over,” she finally sighed. There, she’d said it. “He’s so beautiful. I don’t want to lose anyone else. I love him, Aiden. This is for him, what he’d want if he could tell us.”

Aiden reclined in the bed, finally making Rose acutely aware of how small it was as he aligned himself with her and curled into her, nestling their son carefully between them. Rose’s discomfort meant little to him. His smile grew for a moment as though he knew he was making her heartbeat ripple up to her head, ripening her cheeks further as she surrendered to the weight of her eyelids. She recited a mantra. Breathe, deep breaths. But each one was a wave of pure unadulterated Aiden and Joseph. Her chest trembled with their names on every beat. Aiden, Joseph, Aiden, Joseph. Two hearts.

“He’s a blessing, Rose. Look at him! He’s us, meeting. Us together. Even the children can see it.” He sighed into her hair, and chuckled when she pulled away. “I think your mummy sees it now, doesn’t she, Joey?” He grinned, fresh tears moistening his speckled pink cheeks. “We won’t have to work as hard as we thought we would. Isn’t that lovely? We’ll show her, you and me. We know she can fall in love now, truly,” he pressed his finger to his son’s palm and breathed deep when little fingers coiled around it, “since she’s besotted with you. Just you wait. You’ll be proud of your dear old dad.”

Aiden wasn’t remotely fazed by Rose’s insistence that having them move in with her was for the benefit of the children. He feigned belief while sporting an insufferable foxy grin while movers rearranged her house to accommodate the Hoynes family five days later. The house shrank as it accommodated Noah, Ruby, Aiden, Joseph Peter, and Alice the Hoynes’ nanny. Aiden had a crew begin construction on a guest house with a nanny suite. Rose was thankful for Alice, because Noah and Ruby needed some stability in their lives with their father working upwards of 60 hours a week. Alice was a calming presence in the house, particularly when Joey was crying. Rose learned quickly that Noah didn’t have an easy time coping with it. Frankly half the time Rose didn’t know how to deal with it.

Alice had half the day off and the other half cleaning the house while the children were at school. So Rose was on her own when it came to Joey for the most part. Her mum came to the rescue frequently, and stayed some nights for dinner. Tony insisted on fulfilling his Uncle-y duties at first, until he learned that there wasn’t much he could really do except cheer Joey up with goofy faces. His desire to help was often overzealous, frustrating his tiny nephew. On the days the went for strolls in the park he emphatically told anyone that passed that Joey was _his_ baby. The days in between their visits stretched as Joey grew. It didn’t matter that Rose hadn’t asked for this, she still needed to learn to hold her own. When Alice’s nanny suite was finished she thought getting through the night might be easier because it meant regaining her bedroom. It just meant that when Joey woke up in the middle of the night she had to travel farther to get to him.

Joseph Peter was every bit like his father: stubborn, demanding, determined, and full of love. His father never once made a complaint about how this just made her fall in love with the little one that much more. He devoted all of his free time to Joey anyway. Rose didn’t fault him for not being around as much as he wanted to. He’d promised to be there for his son, and fought Freya every day when she harangued him into more work. He finally had an excuse when his back gave out one week after having slept on Rose’s couch for three months straight. After she finished nursing one night (and finally staying awake long enough to drag herself back to bed) she found him wincing as he writhed like a snake on the couch (evidently designed for a much shorter person than himself).

“Come to bed, Aiden,” Rose murmured into the dark depths of the living room.

Of course in his white oxford and blue boxers he stood out like a sore thumb. A white and blue wincing snake. He tried to hide it, swallowing a groan as he held his back to sit up. “Where will you sleep?” he rasped in a smoky groan.

“In bed. Just come on before I change my mind, all right?”

He didn’t need to be asked twice. He was practically racing as he hobbled down the dark hallway. He’d never once complained. Not once. Even after working a twelve hour day he’d still come home and help Noah out of an anxiety attack in the dead of night, soothe Ruby after a nightmare, and stay up with Joey if he refused to sleep (which he often did, the stubborn little bug). Sometimes it all happened in one night. Rose had taken to fixing him meals on occasion, at first insisting that it meant nothing more than her needing something to do with her time. He was already thin to begin with. After Joey was born he’d only gotten thinner. And now his back was giving out. Rose would like to say that fatherhood was detrimental to Aiden’s health. But in this case _Rose_ was detrimental to his health. She would hate sleeping on the couch, and couldn’t fathom how he coped.

“Thank you,” he muttered as he slipped beneath her sheets on a far off corner of her bed.

He was asleep before she could reply. The following night he was back on the couch, back to wincing and writhing. He didn’t make any claims to her bed. Before she could invite him to bed Joey woke up wailing, and he flew into the nursery to rock him back to sleep. By the time he’d accomplished the task, he’d joined his son in sleeping in the plush rocking chair. He was away the following three days for a diplomatic sweep of South America. But when he returned he was back in the living room, this time on the floor in a makeshift sleeping bag. Her heart leapt into her throat the first time she tried to speak, and the second time it was pounding so fiercely in her chest she nearly forgot to say anything.

“Aiden, come to bed,” she muttered. He didn’t hear her this time. She knelt down on the floor, dressed only in a loose nursing shirt and knickers. At least she could take comfort in not being the only one with dreadful bed head. She nudged his shoulder.

A shiver shot down her spine when he looked her up and down, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he licked them moist. He almost sported his erection proudly. She hadn’t looked before, so she wasn’t certain she wanted to know if it had already been there or not.

“Come to bed,” she stammered.

Again, he didn’t need to be asked twice. He was all too eager, once again striding down the hallway in the least humble way possible. She rolled over and spoke to his back once he’d flopped into bed.

“I don’t understand why you don’t just come in. Why are you shy about asking for what you want all of a sudden? It’s like ever since you moved in you’ve changed. You don’t push me. I mean, the old Aiden would’ve…” Rose rattled off as she twirled her hair out of its messy bun.

He mumbled his response into her pillow, already half asleep. “Want you to want me in your bed.”

Again, he fell asleep almost instantly, a far cry from the man she’d met ages ago that confessed to staring up at his ceilings for hours on end at night. What changed? It wasn’t just Joey encouraging him to enjoy sleep once again. He slept closer to her that night, so much that his breaths fanned her warm neck, but he didn’t touch her. For once her infant wasn’t the cause for her not getting any sleep. In fact, he slept through the rest of that night.

Rose got up with the sun along with Noah, and enlisted his help in fixing everyone breakfast. She assigned him to making toast and setting the table, with the hopes that if she woke up Aiden early enough he’d actually join them for breakfast. Noah was absolutely perplexed when Rose handed him the milk to pour himself a glass. He shook his head and pushed it back into her hands. By then his brother was awake and wriggling in his seat on the island.

“You can’t teach your brother how to if you don’t try it yourself you know,” Rose reasoned. “He needs his big brother to set the example.”

Noah turned his nose up at Rose, but he listened and gave it a try. Lately she’d been urging him to also try a glass that didn’t have any lines on it, which he royally hated. But when she set him to the task of pouring himself milk that morning there was no risk of going over the line, so he couldn’t fuss at anyone about it. He looked up at Rose for approval when he didn’t make a mess of it and she beamed back at him. Even he had made a spill, the smile he offered her would have been well worth it.

Aiden strode into the kitchen a moment later and pulled her into his arms before she could wish him good morning. Rose hadn’t realized she actually missed _him_ until he was pulling her hips into his waist and bringing her lips to his. The shock of it sucked all the air from her lungs. She closed her eyes and licked his lip before he pulled away to greet his sons. The moment was quicker than the drop of a hat. The arrogant bastard had to know she was craving more, sweeping her tongue across her lips to get one last taste of him before he faded away. Just a chaste kiss, nothing more. Instead of sitting down to breakfast she wanted to yank him right out that chair and ask him what the bloody hell was up with him, as if she didn’t already know the answer.

“I think I’m making your mum crazy,” Aiden told Joey a couple nights later after she finished nursing him. She was about to put him to sleep when Aiden strolled in and told her to get some rest. She took the chance to grab a shower, and popped her head back in before slipping into bed. Aiden was making little effort to actually get his son to sleep, but she had a difficult time being cross with him when they looked so happy together. The moonlight shined on his face, lighting up his little smile fixed on his son’s face. “But we’re patient, aren’t we? Oh, I could skip straight to the end if I wanted to. But she’s got to know we’re not replacements, right? Hm? We want her really happy, don’t we Joseph? I’ll get there, just you wait and see. We’re making progress. Did you see Daddy this morning?” Joey flapped his little arms at Aiden. “Oh, you did? Made her so angry, didn’t I?” He paused and looked up, greeting her with a wicked smile. “Go get some sleep, Rose. I’ve got this.”

“Come to bed after?” she offered. After witnessing that conversation she couldn’t believe herself.

“I’d like that.”

Rose was asleep by the time Aiden joined her. She would never know when, but woke up with his arm draped over her stomach and his mouth pressed to her shoulder. It made her miss him the following night that much more, because he didn’t return home from work that night. She spent the night wondering where he was that he couldn’t answer his mobile. She knew he was working. But when she was alone in bed her mind still conjured up images of him lying in bed with another woman. He’d never. She knew he wouldn’t. But a lonely mind was a dangerous place. She damn near killed him when he strolled in the following day if he hadn’t already looked like death warmed over.

“Where are the children?” He stormed in and practically interrogated her.

“In bed. What’s -”

He flew down the hall before she could ask him what was going on. He checked the children’s bedrooms, Noah, Ruby, and finally Joey, before whipping back around. Rose had chased after him like a duckling, so he bumped into her, and pinned her against a wall. She was starting to get an idea of where he’d been when he stole her breath and a crushed her lips with a kiss. He gave her a chance to return it this time. She was so hungry for it, for him that she bit his lip. He growled and pulled her into him, squeezing her knicker-clad bum. She sucked his lip into her mouth and licked the taste of coffee right off. He trailed kisses down her jaw and neck, nipping it when he reached her collarbone. Rose gasped and pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” she croaked.

“A threat came in. That’s all I can say,” he whispered as he pulled her back in, speaking into the sensitive skin behind her ear.

“Liar. You can say more than that.”

“All right I don’t want to.”

“It wasn’t…”

He cringed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s taken care of.”

His eyes were angry and red, and his clothes were the same he’d left with when she saw him last. “You look like death, come to bed,” she said, and started dragging him into the bedroom.

He pulled away and shook his head. “I need to know they’re safe,” he argued.

There was a fire in Aiden’s eyes that Rose wouldn’t argue with. It was fierce and passionate, coupled with his gentle hand cupping her cheek. He gave her a moment to lean into it, to soak up his warmth before ghosting away. Rose damned her exhaustion for allowing to her to sleep for a couple hours. When she awoke she expected Aiden to be with her. She made her way through the bedrooms and found Joey’s to be empty. They were piled up in Noah’s tent, the three boys. Joey was perched on his father’s chest while he curled up with Noah. Ruby was on Noah’s bed, her feet hanging off as she clutched a thick storybook. Rose quietly extracted herself from the room to go find one of Ruby’s blankets to cover her with. She gently removed the book from her arms and fixed her feet. She groaned in her sleep but smiled and snuggled up to her stuffed horse that replaced it.

Rose wanted to join them, lean up against the bed next to Ruby and conk right back out. She was certainly tired enough. For once she felt like she would belong there. Love never came the way she expected it to. Did it for anyone? If her life could ever be predictable she wouldn’t want to try so damn hard all the time. It wasn’t just Aiden she fell in love with. It was all of them, the whole package. They were hers. She needed all of them, all four of them. The feeling didn’t wash over her in an instant as she might have expected. It was like a change in season, the first scent of crisp autumn air, or the tips of grass peaking above the surface of snow as it melted for spring, a gentle summer rain, or the sparkle of a fresh blanket of snow. It rekindled her heart better than any flame. The warmth in her chest spread, more invigorating than a good night’s sleep. So she didn’t get any that night.

It trickled in, and Aiden didn’t say a word, nor did he flash her any of his patented arrogance for knowing he’d been right. He simply enjoyed her embrace the next morning, and smiled when she kissed him goodbye for the day. Two days later they went on a date, nothing more than dinner out. But it felt nice to put on a dress again and eat like a civilized adult, even if she spent the two hours fretting over Joey (who was just fine as Aiden promised). She took to kissing him at the door at the beginning and end of each day. Once or twice a week she’d surprise him at work with lunch. Joey came along one day for a picnic since the weather was nice. She couldn’t care less that the paparazzi ate them up. By then the nature of their relationship was no longer a secret anyway. They were happy. Rose loved seeing Aiden smile, not only for the son that she gave him, but for _her_. After a few weeks he began feeding her a particularly hungry smile, knowing they were close, knowing _he_ was close.

“You. I just want you,” Rose blurted out when he asked her what she wanted for her birthday. Her mum had taken all three of the children for a few hours. They had the house to themselves to do as they pleased. “I love you,” she squeaked, and was quite certain the three words came out all at once as one garbled nervous mess.

He backed her into the couch as he removed his tie, casting it to the floor. “Did you think I needed to hear that before we took this step?” he asked in a husky voice while popping a few buttons on his shirt. He’d arrested her movements with the mere sight of him. “I’d have bent you over that kitchen counter so many times, if you wanted. Right on this couch.” He took another step and had her trapped. “All you had to do was ask.”

“Touch me,” Rose bleated a command.

“Bed,” he growled into her ear as he whipped off his belt. She hissed her approval. He let his lips graze the shell of her ear. “Invite me to your bed.”

She craned her neck, but he waited. Dreadful tease. “No need. It’s yours.”

For that Aiden scooped her up into his arms and carried her down the hall, to _his_ bed, without saying another word. He seemed to eat up her intense blush as he heaved her onto the bed and stood back. She supported herself on her elbows and watched as he stripped in front of her. After all the waiting she might expected him to trip over himself ripping off his clothes. He took his time, achingly. His shirt fell to the floor like an autumn leaf on a calm day. He rolled off his vest painfully slowly, and Rose bit back a swear. He was making a show of it, the arrogant bastard. She curled her toes against the duvet when his hands made their way to the button of his tenting trousers. She did swear when they came off along with his pants in one go. He was on her before she could properly take in the sight of him. But fuck, did he ever _feel_ fit.

“You… you never said…” she muttered as his teeth found her neck.

“Said what?” Aiden growled into Rose’s shoulder. “That I love you? I do, Rose,” he assured her as he snaked a hand up her shirt, fingers dancing up her ribs as his lips kissed across her neck to the other side. “I love you,” he whispered into her ear. He shifted to tug at her shirt, pulling it over her head. “I didn’t quit loving you.” She shut her eyes and surrendered, not at all a challenge like last time. But it didn’t quell his hunger at all. He relished the task she gave him, hands eagerly claiming her bare flesh as he revealed it to himself. “I’ll never quit loving you.”

“Yeah?”

She grabbed his chin to pull him in for a kiss. Teeth clashed, his tongue darted past her lips, his cock dug into her hip as she raked her fingers up his back. No answer would come. It didn’t need to. She finally missed him. Once she did she was done with it immediately. She wriggled out of her jim jams herself, and he groaned his approval into the swell of her breast. He was gentle, and didn’t spend more than a few seconds there, opting to trail kisses between them instead. If anything it only drove her madder, and she arched up to his mouth. She wanted to wrap her legs around him to bring him where she wanted him. But it was too late, he’d moved too far south already. He took his job seriously. If he was going to touch her, she found he wanted every inch, made certain she knew every bit of flesh that missed his touch wouldn’t ever anymore. She sang approval when his teeth grazed her ribs, and gasped when his hand moved from clasping her hip to shoving her thigh aside. He fed her that same wicked grin when his fingers slipped into her heat.

“I need you,” Rose moaned and bucked into his palm interrupting his mapping her navel with his lips. “I’ve missed you,” she offered up when he merely looked up at her and chuckled. Her heart pounding in her ears was dizzying. She felt drunk on him already. He took a deep breath and slowed down. Rose shook her head and whimpered. “Make love to me,” she yipped.

This found him between her legs before she knew up from down. He pushed back her thighs and saddled his erection right between her lips, making her moan. The worst tease. It was very him. Aiden eyed a little pill case on the nightstand and growled as he smiled. Its presence alone filled him with the most wicked sense of pride in the past week. He didn’t say anything the evening she returned from seeing the doctor about it, but gave her the most delicious kiss that fed her birthday wishes a couple days later. Nothing up to chance this time, she’d thought.

“Tell me you’re staying first,” he demanded, chest heaving inches above hers, eyes devouring her up and down. “I need to hear it. I _deserve_ to hear it. You know I do.”

Rose nodded agreement. He did. “I am,” she promised and sealed it with a languid kiss as she wrapped her legs around his hips, digging her heels into his arse. Her hips’ movements had his cock gliding between her lips and she hissed. It only eased the vicious throbbing there a little. It wasn’t enough. He was so close. “For good.” She closed her eyes and held him tight. “Forever.” There, she’d said it. Some day she’d explain how important the word was to her.

He kissed up her neck and to her cheek, bidding her eyes to open with his teasing and gentle rocks of his hips. “Forever is a long time Rose.”

“It’s really not. That’s why I’m staying.” She kissed him, over and over until he nipped her lip and growled. “With you.”

“Just tell me again,” he whispered hot into her ear.

She clawed his back and shifted her hips until he slipped inside. They both gasped and she pulled him in, bringing him to the hilt before he could tease her any further. He hissed approval in her ear, making her shiver. She couldn’t answer him straight away. He might not have expected her to, as he was lost in gentle rocks of his hips, testing the waters while she cupped his shoulder in her mouth. Breaths came in shallow puffs as he let his weight sink into her, melding his flesh with hers. He grinned against her neck when she swore.

“Tell me again,” he echoed as he started moving within her in earnest.

“I’m staying. I love you, Aiden.”

He made her heart sing and her flesh sizzle in his wake. It didn’t feel like betrayal to promise him forever when it had him burying his head in the crook of her neck and leaving tears there. It felt right. Aiden had never asked Rose for a bloody thing. Only that their times together remain theirs. One honest win, he’d wanted. The man that demanded everything of his government and his country didn’t ask anything of his love. He waited. He wanted her to make the right choice, but never demanded it be him. Rose kissed his tears away and swore to him that he wasn’t a second choice. He couldn’t be, even if fate had dealt her an unwanted hand. He’d given her a tremendous gift that couldn’t ever be replaced. Their child was only a small part of it. He sought her pleasure and drank it in when he found it. She made certain that night and every one that followed that he knew he wasn’t a second choice, not a replacement, not settling. Aiden was the first man that truly waited. He may not have been the first one she’d ever loved, but he was the last.

 

_“ You stepped out of a cloud_   
_I want to take you away, away from the crowd_   
_And have you all to myself, alone and apart_   
_Out of a dream, **safe into my heart** ”_   
  



End file.
